-AEST-2-Trouble Witches: Nest of Disruption
by Amethytus Library
Summary: Amethytus -STANDALONE-#2: Four Days prior to -LIFE-. Bella Chimes experiences a frightful phenomenon at the Amethytus Estate. When it is learned that the cause is Interdimensional Static in her home realm of Eihemland, she takes on the assignment to travel there and fix it. But the mission to do so turns dire very quickly, as far more than just Static has appeared in the realm.
1. PT1

~-AEST-Trouble Witches: Nest of Disruption~  
~Waypoint 01: Summer Nights~

It is early evening at the Amethytus Estate. The star-filled sky is as beautiful as ever, with all of Staveltess' moons at least partially visible. The grey moon of Iyolotess is high, at what is essentially a noon position. The orange moon of Zoquaness is midway up in the sky, somewhat dull for once, and lurking behind it is the blackness that is the moon of Umiovess. Half-set over the southern horizon is the blue planetoid of Denrabesess.

The sky is not so clear to the north however, and flashes of lightning can be seen. A very distant rumble of thunder shortly follows. A swarm of Zebs buzz by overhead.

Within the center of the grand courtyard of the Amethytus Estate, there is activity in some of the quadrants around the great central tree. The tree itself stands a few hundred feet tall like a spire protected by walls. It is unlike the crystalline trees of the surrounding forest. Its trunk is so thick, it has been hollowed out to make a living place for Vormsi, and yet the tree remains alive and healthy. Within its branches, an intricate nest made of crystals of all different colors has been built by the Star Wyvern Celest'va. She is currently tending to the nest, using her beak to sort some of the crystals on one side of the nest. She squawks happily when she gets it right for herself.

Surrounding the tree, there are four quadrants within the half-mile-long courtyard, each with designated purposes. The western quadrant is the Animal Den, with a romping ground for the local Jaggies and their friends. It also has a passage to under the tree where the animals go to sleep. At the moment there are six Jaggies occupying themselves by terrorizing a Mellow that has strayed into the area. As it tries to flee, the Jaggies jump and snap at it, catching it and tossing it around, while others bark excitedly. With them is Veltadore, the Albino Jaggi with aspirations of greatness. And with him, is the Latias Tanya. She is giggling at the sight of the goofy Jaggies. Veltadore gives her a certain look as she giggles, and a mild blush forms on the sides of his muzzle. She looks at him as he gazes, causing him to immediately flinch and look in another direction.

To the north of the grand central tree, is a sprawling garden. The entire space between the tree and the artificial river that borders the central courtyard has been cultivated into a beautiful garden filled with flowers, small ornamental trees, a small fountain of the tiered-bowl variety, and the Garden Gazebo, set near the base of the tree itself. No one is here at the moment.

To the east of the great tree is the Battle Deck. A large, raised platform made of extremely durable wood fused with crystal, this platform is where Vormsi is most often found. It serves as a training area for combat under controlled conditions, using holographic opponents that have the potential to inflict serious damage. However, at the moment, the battle deck is quiet too. Vormsi seems to be elsewhere for once.

Finally, to the south of the great tree, is the Estate Onsen. A series of artificial hotsprings pools built to look natural, they are almost never unoccupied. The very air is steamy from the pools, which sport submerged glow orbs for a relaxed setting, as well as large rocks distributed somewhat randomly within the pools to serve as seats for the occupants. The area is completely open-air, with no barriers of privacy. The women of the Estate are like a large, extended family, and see no need for such a thing.

At the moment, there are six women in the Onsen, resting together within one of the pools, all of them nude. Bella Chimes is sitting with her back to an outer edge of the pool, with Dewdrop the Kadoatie resting atop her head. Ashei is sitting on one of the independent stones, with a folded towel serving as a cushion. Her legs crossed, she is running a washcloth along her arms. Princess Daisy is sitting in the center of the pool, the water up to her shoulders. She is talking to Misty Rains, who is sitting a couple of feet away from her, also deep in the water. Misty's hair is solid black, as opposed to the white it normally is when dry. The great, purple-skinned Mamono Apophis Itegpa'artap is laying back in the water, with her face and huge, yet proportionately-accurate for her size, breasts being the only areas of her body visible above the water surface. Her twenty-plus-foot-long snake half is stretched out along the border of the pool, her tail tip poking Bella occasionally. Bella swats at it every time she gets poked, and she gives Itegpa an annoyed look, though the snake woman seems completely enraptured by the warmth of the Onsen. Lastly, Fiquella, a catgirl of the Black Panther variety, with a pseudo-cute demeanor, is sitting on the edge of the Onsen pool, only her feet submerged, and she's slowly swaying them. Her black, velvety cat ear with a dyed-pink tip twitches, as she notices another woman approaching the Onsen.

Daisy, in the middle of a conversation with Misty, says, "And the general path the Outing Trails are going to take has been charted, but the forest is pretty thick in some places. They're calling for volunteers to help with the trailblazing."

"I am definitely gonna be involved in the parts that go near the rivers!" Misty replies cheerfully, as she sinks a little in the water.

"Hahaha, I figured! There's waterfalls and everything out there, and Zan plans for the trails to go near at least a couple of them," Daisy says, as she crosses her arms behind her head.

"Ohh, that sounds so beautiful..." Misty softly responds. She leans back, using her arms for support, imagining the cascading beauty of the forest waterfalls. Her breasts emerge at the water's surface. "I can't wait for this project to get underway. Zan has some of the best ideas!" she adds.

Tepia'su arrives, wearing just a towel, but the towel is so short that it only covers her breasts and stomach. Her extremely well-developed backside, as usual, is completely visible. But shortly, everything is visible as she takes the towel off and sets it on a stone bench with other towels. She steps down into the water. She also happens to step onto a section of Itegpa's tail, but Itegpa barely registers it. Tepia'su looks at her when she realizes she stepped on her, but just smiles softly when she sees that it didn't hurt. She wades farther into the water, and says to everyone in general, "And his sweet-tooth has struck again."

All of the girls flinch. Even Itegpa's attention is caught, and she looks at Tepia'su. Fiquella quickly becomes excited. "Oh great! What was it this time?!" she asks.

"A minicake. At twenty-one-twenty, after four days," Tepia'su replies, as she moves closer to Daisy and Misty.

The excitement is dashed, and all of the women groan. Fiquella flops backward onto the grass and mutters, "I didn't even come close. Darn it."

Daisy watches Tepia'su approach, and asks, "Who won?"

"Lazeoli. And she was nearly completely accurate," Tepia'su answers, stopping for a moment, with an arm akimbo.

The women groan again, and resume what they were originally doing.

~Waypoint 02: Of Past, Present and Future~

Tepia'su moves a little closer to Daisy, finally coming to a stop in front of her, and remains standing for the moment, looking for a good spot to sit down. Daisy becomes a bit flustered with having Tepia'su in full nudity standing right in front of her. It gets worse when, as Tepia'su remains standing there looking around further, she turns around, bringing her backside right in front of Daisy's face. Finally, Daisy slaps Tepia'su's perfectly-shaped backside, causing the woman to yelp. "Sit down already!" Daisy snaps, a strong blush of flusterment on her face.

Misty is very amused. Bella and Fiquella snicker. Ashei and Itegpa didn't notice. Tepia'su promptly sits down beside Daisy, and gives her a cute little smile. Daisy glares at her for a moment, but her flusterment eventually fades. After giving Tepia'su a wary eye and wondering if she did that on purpose, Daisy slowly continues, "Anyway... What is with Zan and Red Velvet Cake? He acts like it's dangerous and should be handled with care, but it's obvious to everyone he loves the stuff."

Misty is sitting upright again. "Maybe he's trying to watch his weight?" she speculates.

Some of the girls chuckle. Fiquella says, "Personally, I can totally get why Zan loves Red Velvet Cake so much. It's so red and velvety."

Bella gives Fiquella a weird look, and snarks, "Totally accurate description there, Fiquella. What part of your imagination came up with that?"

Fiquella claws at Bella and makes an annoyed hiss. Bella feints fear by cringing back while taking Dewdrop off her head and holding her against her bare chest. Fiquella continues to claw at Bella. Dewdrop mews quietly in confusion. Tepia'su gives them a soft look of amusement, and says, "...I guess it's just that he knows it's very rich, and should be eaten sparingly. Roxxie said the entries for the next pool will be accepted starting tomorrow, at the usual time."

The women quietly acknowledge. Ashei gently runs her washcloth down the tops of her breasts, and quietly comments, "I'd be opposed to the whole thing, if not for the fact Zan prohibits the use of money in it."

Tepia'su looks at her with a gentle nod and says, "Yeah, it's just for fun. The closest thing to gambling at the Estate. Sometimes though some of the women can take even that too far."

Daisy replies, "That rarely happens though, since everyone has something to preoccupy herself with here." She stretches her arms up with a soft groan, her breasts half emerging at the water's surface, and whispers, "Ahh, so comfortable."

Ashei looks at Daisy as she continues to rub herself with her washcloth, and says, "Daisy, I can see it from here, but how is your eye? You took quite a blow from those Human Genomes when they attacked the Estate last week, yeah?"

Daisy brings her hand to her face to feel her left eye, and smiles. She responds, "It's fine, Ashei. Thanks for asking. It was a sucker-punch, and I ended up in the water, but Risky Boots and Lazeoli were there to handle them. And Natasha healed the bruising rather quickly. Wouldn't want this pretty face tarnished by such an unsightly mark!"

A particularly audible rumble of thunder comes from the north. The women in the Onsen pay it no mind, as the pools have a canopy of foliage provided by the great central tree. The sky over the Estate itself is still mostly clear. Daisy chuckles nervously as the women remain silent, with amused looks, at her comment. Slowly, she continues, "A-anyway, I missed most of the action. I had to swim to the shore in my big dress, and it really dragged me down. By the time I got to the beach, the fighting at the docks was finished. I was kinda relieved. I heard they really caused a ruckus."

Bella scoffs, turning her attention away from Fiquella, who has a snagglefang grin as she tries to keep pestering her. "Pshh, we kicked their sorry butts. It takes a lot more than that to defeat us!" Bella declares.

Misty rests her chin in a hand. "I'm just glad that sort of thing rarely happens. This is a pretty safe world in the Wenonah Galaxy, and everyone is looking for ways to improve the security even more," she says quietly.

Daisy crimps the corner of her mouth, wanting to change the subject, so she excitedly says, "And then there's the ideas for pleasant things to do, too! I've been looking into something myself-" Rather raucous Jaggi yowling erupts from the Animal Den, briefly distracting everyone. While it continues, Daisy tries to keep speaking, "Uh... I've been talking with Galilahi about some various passtimes for the people here, and-" The Jaggi racket intensifies. Even Itegpa notices by this point, and the women look in the direction of the Animal Den.

"What the heck is going on over there?" Misty mutters. She stands up to get a better view, and water rushes down her nude body, causing a mild blush to form on her face.

Suddenly a Jaggi comes flying over the hedges that separates the Onsen from the Animal Den and lands with a wild splash in the women's pool. They shriek and shield themselves from the flying water. The Jaggi struggles for a moment and arights itself in the water, but freezes when it notices that it's being looked at by all of the women present. It slowly, nervously looks around at them. Ashei is staring, Misty has her arms akimbo, Daisy has an eye narrowed, Tepia'su has her head tilted sideways quizzically, Bella is thoroughly confused, Fiquella is laughing, Itegpa has already lost interest. The Jaggi makes an embarrassed little yip, and swims to the edge of the pool. It climbs out, and leaves the area through the brush. Misty watches it go, trying to figure out what happened. Bella also watches, and when it leaves, she says to Misty, "Did you see anything?"

"No. The bushes are too tall. Those animals are crazy," Misty replies, still looking in the direction of the Jaggi's departure.

Tepia'su is smiling, with a soft expression, as she comments, "That's probably why Zan likes them so much." She looks at Daisy. "So, Daisy, you were saying?"

Daisy is silent for a second, and a flat look slowly overtakes her face. "I forgot..." she mutters.

Ashei sighs, resuming her washcloth bathing. Misty sits back down in the water and sinks down so that only her head from the nose up is above the water level. Her blush strengthens for some reason. Daisy lays back in the water, trying to remember, her breasts fully emerging on the surface of the water to float. Tepia'su frowns sadly, and says, "Aww... Well, I'm sure it'll come to you. But anyway, I heard you two talking about the preparations for making trails in the forest, and I've got my own little contribution I'm going to make to that. I was rummaging through the Spire's storage vault, and I discovered a large batch of Starlight Blossom seeds."

Misty's eyes widen, and she pops up enough to speak, "Oh wow! Aren't those the beautiful bulb flowers that glow more intensely with strong starlight at night?"

Tepia'su nods with a soft smile. "One and the same," she replies.

Ashei parts her legs to run her washcloth across the tops of them, but also looks up at the starry sky through the tree's foliage, as she quietly comments, "...The sky is always starlit here. You couldn't have picked a better ornamental plant, yeah?"

Tepia'su emits a pleased giggle, and avoids eye contact as she says, "Ah, it was entirely by chance. Like I said, I found them in the storage vault. Once the trails are finished, I'm going to plant them all along the ways."

"I'm looking forward to seeing them shine. They're going to be beautiful, I just know it!" Misty exclaims as she rests a hand on Tepia'su's shoulder. She smiles and nods happily.

As they converse, Bella sets Dewdrop into the water. Fiquella notices right away, and observes. The Kadoatie floats like a duck, and starts paddling feebly, barely able to move at any speed in the water. She isn't distressed though, and Bella finds the sight extremely cute. She watches as Dewdrop slowly moves forward a short distance, then manages to turn around and move back toward Bella. When Dewdrop sees how pleased Bella is by the sight, she mewls cutely. Fiquella smiles at the sight, as does Bella, who holds her arms out to the Kadoatie. Dewdrop swims into Bella's arms, and she hugs the Petpet.

A loud Jaggi yap is heard, and Misty flinches. When nothing happens, she looks at the others warily. "...I've been hearing about this rumor lately..." she begins. "You know the policy on rumors, yeah?" Ashei interjects, looking at Misty through the corner of her eyes. Misty shakes her head as she responds, "It's not about the Entourage. It's about some new team that's been developed by The Nebula." Ashei goes quiet with a slight nod.

Fiquella blinks, and says, "Wait, are you talking about what I think you are?"

Misty looks at Fiquella with interest. "You heard too, huh? Those combining vehicle pilots?" she asks.

Fiquella smiles, her fangs peeking out, as she responds, "Yeah! I heard they managed to level an entire Insectid base that had been giving some of The Nebula's stronger squads a hard time!"

"They liberated a colony of Bloomiens from them in the process, so they're obviously up-and-coming heroes!" Misty excitedly adds.

Bella sets Dewdrop back in the water and lets her float there, watching her. "I think I heard something about them too. Somehow they've managed to fuse a variety of vehicles with a tank, AND have them act as combining mecha. Wouldn't it be awesome of we had something like that at our disposal?" she says.

The girls hear a scoff, and look. They see Elbie and Arbie Gofer, also nude, standing in one of the other Onsen pools. The twins give them an annoyed look. They have a pair of large remote-control devices, suggesting they were about to test something. With a disdainful sniff, Elbie says, "High praise for someone we barely know, huh, sister?" "We do all of this for the Estate, and you never hear anyone praise us!" Arbie quickly adds with a similarly displeased look.

They huff, and press a button on their controllers. Suddenly a huge mechanical moray eel rises up from their pool, causing the other women to yelp. The eel looks around, energy crackling within its mouth and eyes. The Gofer Sisters' cores flicker, suggesting rapid private communication between the two. The other women watch fearfully as the eel "looks" at them. Itegpa notices, and a creepy smile forms on her face. The Gofer Sisters press another button on their remotes, and the eel retreats back into the water. Daisy quietly mutters, "I know which pool I'm never using again."

Ashei just sighs. Misty scowls at the Gofer Sisters as she barks, "I hope you aren't using the Estate plumbing for that thing!"

Arbie's disdain magnifies a bit as she gestures toward them with her free hand and exclaims, "See, sister? No respect!" "It is very frustrating," Elbie quickly replies, shaking her head with her eyes closed.

The Gofer Sisters press buttons on their controllers, and slowly sink down into the water, disappearing completely, leaving the women thoroughly confused. Misty, still scowling, puts her arms akimbo, despite sitting in the water, the action causing said water to roll a little. "I just know they're doing something with the pipes... I'm going to have to find out what," she grumbles.

"That thing was lovely," Itegpa ominously whispers, causing the girls to give her a horrified look.

Bella quietly mutters, "You would think anything snakelike would be lovely..." while avoiding looking at Itegpa, who slowly adjusts her gaze to focus on Bella.

Itegpa rises up from the water, which pours off of her nude body, and slowly shifts her entire self so that she is closer to Bella. The girl promptly becomes extremely nervous, and clings to Dewdrop. The Kadoatie is not afraid though, just puzzled. "Speaking of lovely..." Itegpa sinisterly whispers in a tone slithering with snakelike smoothness. She reaches to touch Bella's breasts, but halts when Bella shrinks back in great nervousness. Instead, she continues, "A certain someone amongst us has clearly been doing some growing. How long have you been with the Entourage?"

Bella stammers for a second, avoiding eye contact with the gigantic Mamono's inverted eyes, "Umm... two... two years. ...In fact, it'll be two years as of... tomorrow." She becomes distracted by this thought for a moment.

Itegpa chuckles, "Hmmhmmhmm..." and moves even closer, regaining Bella's attention and intensifying her dread. "And you were fourteen when you first moved in, correct?" she inquires.

Bella is trembling, Dewdrop just watches with a puzzled demeanor. "Yes... Yes I was..." Bella cautiously answers.

Itegpa gives Bella an unnerving little smile, her teeth visible during it, but then slides back into the water near Bella's left side. "Good for you..." she whispers, and manages to poke Bella's left breast from within the water.

Bella flinches, "Erk... Well, they're nothing compared to yours, right?" she comments as she looks at Itegpa's nine-inch breasts that, proportionately-speaking, fit with her overall size. But the sight of them, floating in the water, makes Bella blush with luminescence.

Itegpa forms a deadly little sneer with rather apathetic eyes as she replies, "And never will be. I shall forever reign as the champion of the busts. No one can even dream of surpassing me. But that's not a problem, is it?" She gives Bella a disquieting stare.

The other women take note of their own development. Aside from Tepia'su's relatively reduced size, everyone else is pleased with their sizes. Tepia'su can't help but feel slightly discouraged, though it doesn't show much on her face. Compared to everyone else here, her breast size is on the smaller end. However, most of her shape is in her backside, and while she's proud of that, this bust-size talk still leaves her feeling mildly inadequate. "Bust-size isn't everything you know," she comments.

Ashei adds, "Figure isn't everything, period. Zan's eclectic tastes are proof of that, yeah? We have Itegpa, and then we have the Gofer Sisters. Youvixia, and Kira. Risky Boots, and Elaxmi. He loves everyone equally. He has regularly stressed that personality and skills are just as important."

"Feh! Says the girl with probably one of the most perfect hourglass figures in the entourage," Fiquella says, pointing at Ashei's stomach.

Ashei falls silent, caught off guard by the remark, and looks at her own body. She gives the others a mildly puzzled look, and notices that they are amused. By what, she doesn't know, but they find her lack of self-consciousness either grating or funny, depending on who you ask.

Itegpa pokes Bella's breast again, and Bella whimpers, too afraid of the huge snake woman to snap at her. Dewdrop, however, is becoming annoyed. Fortunately, Daisy speaks up, "Leave her alone, Itegpa. She's still growing."

Itegpa just lets out a large yawn, her rows of sharp teeth and snake fangs providing a frightening sight. Bella tries to avoid looking at it, as she says, "Well at least I'm growing in the right ways..." She looks down at her more modest bust of about three inches.

When she does this, her vision distorts for a split second, causing her to flinch. She shakes her head to recover, and after a moment, dismisses it.

After a second, Fiquella flinches rather hard, and blurts, "Oh! That reminds me!" She scrambles along the pool edge and sits next to Bella, causing her to flinch too, especially when she leans in close to speak quietly, "The cat costume I'm making for Teresa is almost finished. Heehee..."

Bella immediately begins snickering rather evilly, Fiquella joins her, and the two start laughing. Everyone else, left in the dark, just sits there, staring. Itegpa peers at the two with one half-open eye. Daisy and Misty glance at each other, confused. Tepia'su smiles rather sadly, unsure of what to make of this. Ashei just closes her eyes and slowly shakes her head with yet another sigh. Then she gives them a slightly stern look as she says, "You know what Zan has to say about hazing, yeah..?"

Fiquella gestures dismissively and replies, "It's not hazing! She won't get hurt! Not physically, anyway..." She says this with cat grin, however.

"We're just going to have some fun, that's all," Bella adds, with a similarly mischievous expression.

Tepia'su slightly shakes her head, quite confounded, and asks, "What is all that about?"

"Just a little something Bella and I are working on. Not gonna tell you right now, though," Fiquella responds with a toothy smirk.

Ashei once again slowly shakes her head. She flinches when Daisy bolts upright, launching some water forward. Her breasts heave as well, and she exclaims, "OH! I remembered what I was going to talk about!" Shouting like that gets everyone's attention, and she continues, "Roller-skating! High-speed fun on wheels that DOESN'T involve go-carts! The go-carts would be fun too, but, well, there's a problem with both of these ideas."

The girls look around amongst each other. Bella, leaning back against the edge of the pool, goes out of focus for just a moment again, this time accompanied by a sharp, fleeting burst of pain in the head. She shakes her head to recover. No one notices, but Bella becomes aware that something seems to be happening. However, Tepia'su continues the conversation, "Sure, Daisy. We don't have a good place here at the Estate for that sort of thing though. Is that the problem?"

Misty seems interested as she adds, "The best place for that would be the Ballroom, but I think the maintenance Thyxies would kill us if we scuffed up the floor that much."

Daisy waves hand dismissively as she chatters, "I know, I know. And yes, that's the problem. It takes a lot of room. Not as much as go-carts, but still too much. I mentioned it once to Zan, and he said that it's a good idea, if we could find a place." She takes a breath. "I FOUND A PLACE! I've been talking to someone I know back in the Mushroom Kingdom about it. It might not be available for all of us soon, but I'm working out plans for use of a rink there," she finishes, quite enthusiastic. Tepia'su and Misty smile. Ashei raises an eyebrow at the idea. Itegpa completely ignores it, considering her snake-body is incompatible with skates, period.

Bella's vision goes blurry for a moment again, and now the pain has become solid in her head. She thinks, (What... What's happening? My head hurts... So woozy...) She clutches her head for a moment. No one notices, still, but for Dewdrop, who looks at Bella and mewls nervously, sensing something with her very low-level Psionic abilities.

Fiquella is smiling as she comments, "That does sound like fun! I know I can handle it, but I have to wonder about some of the klutzes here at the Estate. Might wanna bring along a med-kit, cause I bet there will be some sore rumps and sprained wrists. Right, Bella?" Bella is still clutching her head, trying to get her vision to focus. "...Bella?" Fiquella echoes, now looking concerned. The others now notice Bella's behavior as well, and everyone looks at her.

"S-sorry... I'm feeling kind of weird... My head hurts... Excuse me..." Bella mumbles.

~Waypoint 03: Association Disruption~

Bella picks up Dewdrop, turns, and tries to climb out of the pool, but yelps when the pain in her head suddenly surges. She promptly slips, and with a big splash, falls backward into the water. Dewdrop leaps out of her arms onto the pool's edge and starts squealing in fear. The women also yelp. Fiquella shrieks, "BELLA?!"

Bella has gone still, submerged in the water. Itegpa rises up suddenly, water flying off of her, her ominous eyes staring fearfully at Bella. Before anyone else can react, Itegpa lunges down, grabs Bella, and effortlessly lifts her out of the water, holding her up with her hands gripping Bella's sides. Bella's eyes have gone extremely wide, with a horrified and pained expression. A faint glow emanates from the center of her pupils. The other women scramble over to her. "Bella! Bella! What's wrong?!" Daisy frantically shouts.

Bella twitches slightly, but is unable to say or do anything. The commotion has quickly caught the attention of the Jaggies, and they, Tanya and Veltadore peek through the bushes to see what's happening. Itegpa, noticing the strange glow from the center of Bella's eyes, narrows her own, and hisses, "There's something... I sense something is happening..."

The glow within Bella's pupils is getting stronger. The girls move to look at Bella's face, and Fiquella, unnerved, whispers, "I see it..."

Daisy grips Bella's arm as she exclaims, "Bella! Say something!"

Bella remains unresponsive, her face locked in the expression of great distress, and the glow within her pupils intensifies until her whole eyes are glowing. Itegpa grits her teeth, feeling erratic dimensional energy emanating from Bella. The others cluster closely around, while Veltadore and Tanya pass worried looks at each other. Misty, trying to remain calm, speaks up, "Girls, hang on... I think I've seen this before... We need to wait."

Fiquella snaps her head toward Misty and snarls, "Something is happening to Bella, and you seriously expect us to wait?!"

The others are very worried, but acknowledge, and they observe. Bella's eyes become translucent, and the effect ripples through her body, giving off the appearance of miniature shockwaves of erratic subatomic energy. Bella's pained expression softens slightly.

Within her mind, she has been flung into a subdimensional vision, complete with sensory experiences. She finds herself flying through the sky of another world. She is nude, still, but her thoughts are far from concerned about this. As she flies, she finds herself feeling the heat of flame, and suddenly notices a large train on an elevated track racing headlong beside her. Unable to control the movements of her body, all she can do is think to herself, (I can see... a train... Is it on fire? Everything's on fire!)

Indeed, the train has suddenly ignited. It is racing so fast, it is as though the sheer friction with the wind has caused the train to burst into flames. But that doesn't explain all the flames suddenly surrounding Bella. The sky is red, the ground is charred, and fire dances about like an army of demons everywhere. Some of those flames take the shape of short-haired men in jackets. Bella feels hot, and fearful. But suddenly, Bella rises quickly into the sky.

With the others, they continue to pensively wait for Bella, watching the shockwaves course through her body. When the shockwaves come into contact with Itegpa's hands, she winces, and finds her grip on Bella failing from Bella's gradual shift out of phase. Tepia'su notices Itegpa's pain, and frets, "Itegpa?! Did that hurt?"

"Yes..." Itegpa hisses, and her eyes begin to glow with Dark energy. "But don't worry... I've got this," she adds, as she focuses her power.

Itegpa's hands begin surging with Dark energy. When Bella's distortive shockwaves hit Itegpa's hands again, the Dark energy absorbs it. But the pace of the shockwaves rapidly intensifies, until Bella is rippling with dimensional distortions, and becomes almost entirely translucent herself. It is as though she is slipping out of dimensional alignment. Itegpa notices this right away, and focuses tremendous Dark energy into her hands in order to keep holding Bella. Itegpa's face shows fierce determination. The others notice this, but are aware that, when Itegpa actually feels motivated, she is extremely powerful, and thus know they can rely on her in this critical moment.

Bella soars through the sky, high and wonderful. The sky may be red, but it reminds her of a beautiful sunset. She flips to face up, and sees endless red. But the flames of the land below continue to spread, and Bella flips to face down. She recoils in fear of the flames, and looks forward. She can make out something. As all of this happens, her thoughts are detached, as though she were observing herself as well as what she sees, and she thinks, (I'm flying... The sky is so beautiful... But there's fire everywhere! I! ...I see something... A castle... It's familiar- ...There's a giant energy sphere above it!)

In the distance is a large castle. One that should be very familiar with anyone native to Bella's home realm. Above it is a giant, black sphere-shaped distortion. The train from before rushes headlong toward the castle, and the appearance of a galaxy forms within the great black sphere. Bella shrieks as the train collides with the castle. At the same time, the spherical distortion plummets suddenly. The castle is engulfed in twisted and distorted flames. Bella stops flying, hanging in the air. She looks around at the surrounding flames of destruction, and becomes engulfed in terror.

In the presence of the others, Bella twitches again, and her expression becomes pained once more. Misty rests a hand on Bella's arm like Daisy, and firmly, yet fearfully, says, "Hang in there, Bella..." The others nervously watch, and wait.

Bella continues to observe the flames, and suddenly finds herself recognizing the buildings being consumed by them. The flames rush and dance through the streets of a city surrounding the castle. Everything is on fire. Bella gazes upon the sights, thinking, (I recognize this place... It's my...)

Suddenly there is blackness. Then there are stars slipping by as though Bella were flying at warp speed. She looks in the direction she seems to be flying in, and sees a beautiful, long-blonde-haired man in a black cloak. He has his back to her, but slowly turns his torso to look at her through the corner of one eye. He becomes the only thing she can see, in massive close-perspective. (Who is that? A man? I don't know him. His face... is...! INSANITY!) her thoughts scream.

The man's calm expression suddenly turns terrifying, forming a wide grin with glowing eyes. There is a flash, and the very space around Bella cracks apart. Then SHE cracks apart.

With the others, Bella lets out a scream, and the dimensional distortions of her body suddenly burst, discharging erratic dimensional energy in a shockwave through the air around her. Itegpa jolts hard from the burst, and the other girls jolt as well, shielding themselves. Misty and Daisy, who are too close to react in time, fall backwards into the water, into seated positions. Fortunately, no one seems actually harmed by it. The distortions of Bella's body subside very quickly, her eyes returning to normal, and she starts panting. Her vision finally recovers, and she finds herself in Itegpa's grip, being stared at by everyone.

Bella groans, holds her head, and pants as she says, "My head... It... ...It doesn't hurt anymore..."

Fiquella slowly lowers her shielding arms, and her eyes widen. "Bella!" she shouts.

"Bella! Are you ok?!" Daisy exclaims as she sloshes through the water to get to Bella again.

Bella slowly looks around, and responds, "I... Yes, I think I am..." After a moment, she stops panting, and notices that she's still being held up by Itegpa, who is monitoring her carefully. Bella mumbles, "Itegpa...?"

Itegpa narrows her eyes. "Are you sure you're ok?" she asks.

"I think so... It was like a... nightmare..." Bella quietly replies, holding her head again for a second, looking around as though making sure she were truly back in reality.

Itegpa sets Bella on her feet in the water. Dewdrop immediately pounces at Bella, and she catches the Kadoatie. Dewdrop nuzzles her chest and mewls in distress until Bella can calm her down. Itegpa and Fiquella stay close to Bella, and she sits on the pool's edge. The others remain clustered around her. Tanya, from her peeking spot at the bushes, has a particular look of disturbance, and Veltadore notices.

~Waypoint 04: Ripple-Effect~

After giving Bella a quick look over, Ashei says, "Misty, you said you've seen that before, yeah?"

"I have... I don't know much but, I have..." Misty quietly replies, moving to sit on the edge of the pool beside Fiquella. She keeps her eyes on Bella.

Bella, holding Dewdrop close, looks at Misty uncomfortably. She is still trying to shake the disturbance of the experience, and even though the Onsen is quite warm, she is shivering slightly. Misty frowns sadly at the sight, and looks down at the water as she explains, "I've heard reports, and at least once before, seen that happen. There's something called... D.A.D... I forget exactly what that stands for, but it has something to do with the damage to a person's home realm extending to the people of that dimension, even if they happen to be living in another one at the time. Sort of a ripple-effect. Even if a person who still has affection for their home realm is living in another realm, damage or disruption to their home realm can have weird effects."

Itegpa realizes that this isn't going to pertain much to her, and immediately begins to struggle to maintain attention. She sinks a little, her hips becoming submerged in the water. Bella, however, pays close attention. "I saw visions. Does that have anything to do with it?" she asks.

"I think it's one of the potential symptoms, yeah," Misty replies with a slow nod.

Daisy narrows an eye, having moved to stand beside Bella. "You make it sound like a disease," she comments.

Itegpa sinks a little further into the water, which submerges her stomach. Her eyes are half open now.

Tepia'su, moving to get closer to the others, rests a hand on Daisy's shoulder as she says, "No, Daisy, it makes sense. Every one of us still carries the resonance of her home realm within her, and since the Multiverse is like the surface of water, one disruption carries across the Multiverse, but only affects the people who are on that particular wavelength." Misty gives her a pleased look when she uses the water analogy. Daisy finds her curiosity piqued, as she does understand what she means.

Fiquella folds her arms under her bare breasts, looking somewhat confused, and annoyed by this. "...And I'm supposed to understand this?" she complains.

Itegpa looks immensely bored, but is trying to keep up. Her breasts float in the water as she sinks a little further. Bella is gradually becoming more nervous.

Daisy flinches, and looks around at everyone. "Wait a sec. If that were the case, then why didn't Bridgette experience something like that when her home realm was falling apart? It had THREE static points, and was such an old and weakened realm, she should be dealing with this D.A.D. all the time!" she exclaims.

Misty forms a half-smile, and says, "She would... if she was still mentally attached to her home realm. She hates Neverland, remember? She doesn't want to go back. If something like this happened in Medea, Teresa wouldn't notice either. A person has to be mentally attuned to their home realm for this to hit them. And then there are just some people who don't get affected by dimensional stuff. Bridgette has detached herself from her home realm, and is not on the wavelength anymore. But everyone knows that Bella is still fond of her home realm, right?" Bella nervously nods in acknowledgement.

Itegpa lets out a huge yawn again and sinks even further, the water up to her shoulders, her breasts now half submerged. Bella, however, is growing ever more nervous, and her trembling does not stop, which distresses Dewdrop still more. "So, what does this mean? I saw fire everywhere in my vision... Is my home realm on fire? Is Eihemland in danger?" she shiveringly asks.

Thunder rumbles in the distance, and the starlight is beginning to dim a little from approaching clouds. Lamps distributed throughout the Grand Central Courtyard slowly emerge from the ground, and activate, producing a soft white glow that keeps the area from becoming too dark. Misty, Tepia'su and Ashei give Bella a concerned look. Misty answers, trying to keep from sounding too grim, "It may be possible. There is more than one way to become alerted to a dimensional disruption. Oh yeah! 'D.A.D' stands for 'Dimensionaly Associated Distress'."

Fiquella jokes, "I didn't think it had anything to do with fathers."

Misty ignores her, as she looks directly at Bella, and says, "You need to tell Zan about this. He's the Dimension Lord, after all. He'll know exactly what's going on if you explain it to him."

Everyone watches as Bella stands up at the edge of the pool, an alarmed expression on her face. Itegpa's half-open eyes follow her, curious. Bella turns, gently sets Dewdrop on the pool's edge, and steps out. She takes off for the Southern Haven. The women watch her go, concerned for the situation, but confident that Zan will be able to take care of it. Itegpa realizes something, and a naughty, toothy smirk forms on her face. "Zan's in for a surprise..." she quietly comments, retaining the mischievous look.

Tepia'su watches Bella go, saddened by her plight, and replies, "I know. There seems to be a rise in problems around the Estate."

"Not that this is one of them," Itegpa says, turning her dark eyes to look at everyone with a clearly suggestive expression.

Ashei narrows an eye, unable to get what Itegpa is hinting at, and mutters, "...What?"

Itegpa, smirking still, tells them straight, "Zan's about to get an eye-full of nude Bella Chimes body. Soaking wet, no less."

The women flinch, and suddenly realize what Itegpa realized immediately. Bella took off for the building without grabbing her clothes, or even a towel. Fiquella busts out laughing. Misty and Daisy start giggling. Tepia'su smiles cutely. Ashei is amused too, but only mildly so.

Dewdrop waddles over to the stone bench with Bella's folded clothes on it, and hops onto the bench. She climbs onto the clothes, circles atop them a few times, and lays down. She mewls once, with a hint of worry in her tone. Tanya slowly nods her head with a serious look, and Veltadore notices. They and the Jaggies return to the Animal Den. The women return to their original spots in the Onsen to continue their conversation.

Within the Auditorium, Byzantian Fandango, or Zan, as the Entourage calls him, is with several other women. They are standing on the observation platform before the large, central holoprojector. A large stage-like platform, it can project three-dimensional holographic images as high as the ceiling. At the moment, the holoprojector is displaying an overhead view of the Marble Zone ruins of planet Mobius, while a number of display screens amidst the projection are showing various hazards and points of interest within the ruins. With Zan on the observation platform are Bridgette, Teresa, Cerebella, Lily Flyer, Tina the Mawile, Youvixia, Cici'ciel, and Jazzie Barbara. Zan, using a fork, eats the last bite of a Red Velvet Minicake, as he listens to Bridgette talk, "I'm sure there's something of value there. But why the place is volcanically active, I have no idea."

Tina, a Mawile with an attitude and a little, earth-tone safari vest, raises her little hand and comments, "Yo. You seriously want a Steel-type Pokemon like yours truly to go to into a place flowin' with lava?"

Bridgette folds her arms, looking at one particular display on the projector showing plumes of lava. She replies, "That's what Contour Barriers are for, Tina. We'll obviously try to avoid that as we chart the place though." Tina looks extremely skeptical.

The northern door of the Auditorium dilates open, and Bella runs in, still dripping wet and nude. Everyone turns to look at her, and various reactions follow. Before they can say anything, Bella shouts, "Zan!" and runs toward him.

Youvixia forms an extremely naughty smile, her tails slowly swaying, as she smoothly comments, "Oh wow. Someone's desperate for the Hotshot's attention!"

Cerebella lets out a laugh. "What a sight!" she exclaims.

Teresa, however, notices the distressed look on Bella's face immediately, and mumbles, "Bella..?"

Zan's eyes widen, and his cybernetic one glows slightly stronger at the sight. He only briefly glances at Bella's nudity, before focusing on her face as she urgently approaches him. He sets the cake container and fork on a railing counter. Cerebella, Tina, Youvixia and Jazzie become highly amused, Lily and Cici mildly so, and Bridgette becomes annoyed at being interrupted. Zan and Teresa, however, sense that there is something amiss. He turns fully to face her as she comes up the platform to him. Bridgette, though, blurts, "...I was TALKING here!"

Teresa points a palm at Bridgette as she says, "Hang on a moment, Bridgette!" Bridgette scoffs, and keeps her arms folded in irritation.

Zan holds a hand toward Bella, and says softly, "Bella... What's wrong?"

Bella reaches Zan, and grips his arms. Giving him a frightful look, she shouts, "Zan, I just had the most bizarre experience!"

"Running around in the open, nude and soaked, can do that," Youvixia comments, keeping that naughty smile.

Teresa quips, "Quiet, you!", causing Youvixia to chuckles at her audacity. Zan cautiously says, "Go on."

Bella keeps her eyes fixed on him as she tells him of what happened, "I was sitting in the Onsen, talking with the others, when my head started to hurt. My vision got blurry too. Then... according to Misty, I experienced something called 'Dimensionally Associated Distress'." Zan's cybernetic eye shifts to the Alarm Icon the moment he hears that. Everyone else becomes curious. Even Youvixia, when she realizes this is not a silly situation afterall. Bella continues, "I couldn't move. I fell into the water, but Itegpa pulled me out. I started seeing this elaborate vision... Fire... A train... A castle... A blonde-haired man..." Zan's expression darkens on hearing the last descriptor. The others slowly look around at each other in perplexity. Bella keeps going, "The place I saw on fire looked familiar. I think it was Eihemland! Misty said that I might have experienced some kind of side-effect of dimensional damage! Zan, I think my home realm is in danger!"

Zan, in grim looks and grim tone, replies, "Hmm. That does sound like a symptom of D.A.D... And you said you saw a man's face?"

"Yeah. He was wearing a black cloaked suit, and had a rather feminine face with long blonde hair. But when he looked at me, all I felt was evil power and great fear," Bella replies, eyes full of concern.

Zan closes his eyes for a second, and mutters, "...This is serious, then. To see a person in such a vision, that person must indeed be strong enough to cause dimensional damage." He opens his eyes, looks at the others, and announces, "Looks like we may have another Interdimensional Static exploitation going on. I'm sorry, Bridgette, but we need to postpone this briefing. I'm going to take Bella to the MedLab to get her checked for traces of D.A.D."

Bridgette sighs, and shuts off the Holoprojector display. "Alright. This can wait. The Marble Zone isn't going anywhere," she grumbles.

Tina snarks, "Unless it sinks into the lava or somethin'." Bridgette rolls her eyes, unable to disagree with that.

Teresa quickly says, "I'm going with you, master."

Zan nods. "Very well," he acknowledges. He turns to step down off the platform, and Bella stays with him, clinging to his arm. Teresa moves to stay close to Bella, clearly quite concerned.

Bridgette looks at the others, and says, "We'll continue this briefing once we've finished this situation, ok?" They acknowledge.

Zan, Bella, Teresa and Bridgette head to the northern entrance to the Auditorium. The others, but for Lily and Jazzie, leave through other entrances. The two who stay head to a side terminal and begin talking.

~Waypoint 05: Origin of Distress~

The MedLab is the primary Science Facility of the Amethytus Estate. Located on the second floor of the Western Haven, it is mainly used for research in all types of science, in limited degree. One of those is Medical Science, and that particular section of the lab doubles as the rarely-used hospital for the Estate. Due to Zan's determined efforts to research technology that prevents injury, the Medical Bay sees little use. The rest of the lab, however, is frequented by several members of the Entourage, and one in particular, Kira Daidohji, has practically made it her second bedroom. The lab is filled with science experiments in the works, shelves with science journals that would be out of place in the Library, and elaborate chemistry setups related to elemental research. Among the notable features of the MedLab are a miniature gantry for the production of automatons, a Dimensional Agitator for experimental portal creation, an Elemental Fusion Cell for merging of elemental items to produce more advanced types, a large formation of Khaydarin Crystals connected to Protoss research, and a copy of Mabelline's Dreamnest machine. There are other notable devices here, some of which may be a bit egregious.

At the moment, Kira Daidohji is indeed here, though she is currently doing nothing of importance, watching a computer terminal display a diagnostic of a large beaker containing an unnerving Zerg biomass that has been growing for the past several months. Natasha is also here, in the Medical Bay, examining a set of medical injector units. Helping her is the snow-white Usul named Mitsie'minnie, who comes up to her with a tablet displaying information on the units. Natasha smiles warmly, and Mitsie returns the smile with a happy one of her own.

As Mitsie goes back toward a shelf with empty containers, she eyes a refrigeration tray. Amidst the ice and some containers of chemicals, is a stash of the special milk that Kira likes to drink. But then she passes a nervous glance at Kira, who passes a stern glance at her. Mitsie swallows hard, and keeps on going.

She flinches when one of the entry doors to the MedLab dilates open. Zan, Bella, Teresa and Bridgette enter. They head toward the dimensional study section of the MedLab. Natasha, Kira and Mitsie immediately notice one thing: Bella is nude. And she's still dripping wet. Kira grits her teeth with narrow eyes, and jumps off of her chair to approach them.

Zan sees Kira coming, and says, "Kira, we-" "Bella, you're getting water on the floor! You're going to contaminate the chemicals!" Kira suddenly shouts, completely cutting Zan off.

Kira's interrupting Zan brings out a glare on Bridgette's face. Natasha notices Bella's soaked condition too. But she quietly goes to a storage locker, opens it, and takes out a clean, white towel. Bella looks down at herself, blinks, and mumbles, "...Oops..."

Teresa, with a mischievous smirk, adds, "You're naked, too."

Bella blushes with embarrassment. She looks back up at everyone, and says, "I was... so fixated on getting to Zan that I forgot my clothes."

Natasha approaches and gently hands Bella the towel. With a quiet thank you, Bella starts to dry herself. Kira stands there, arms folded, glaring at Bella. Then she notices Bridgette glaring at her and flinches. She realizes that she interrupted Zan, but shrugs it off. Bella looks down at her nudity again as she uses the towel on her hair, then looks at Teresa, her blush subsided. "Teresa, could you go get my clothes? I left them on a bench at the Onsen," she asks.

Teresa nods, and replies, "Yeah, ok." She heads back the way they entered and leaves the MedLab.

Bella continues drying herself, and her long hair. Mitsie uses a hand towel to clean up the water Bella dripped onto the floor. Natasha watches Bella. Looking her over and not seeing any sort of injury renders her curious, and she asks, "Is everything ok? Have you been hurt, Bella?"

Bella shakes her head, and replies, "No... Zan?" She looks at him, still quite concerned with the situation.

Zan nods, and says, "We need to run some tests on Bella. She may have experienced Dimensionally Associated Distress, and it might be pertinent to a developing situation in Eihemland."

Kira, returning Bridgette's glare with one of her own, narrows an eye on hearing the situation, and says, "Huh. Well, that shouldn't be a problem. Uh, by the way, the Gofer Sisters were here a minute ago, chattering about their mechanical eel getting stuck in a main water line. Sounds like the Twinpints are bored."

Bella stops drying herself for a moment, with a stunned look. It would seem Misty was right. Zan, meanwhile, facepalms, and explains, "The upgrades and expansion of their subterranean factory is not finished yet, so they must be occupying themselves. I'll be sure to talk to them about that." He finishes with a sigh.

Natasha returns the focus of attention back to Bella, and says, "Bella, can you tell us what symptoms you had?"

Bella slowly nods, and as she uses the towel to dry her legs, says, "I first had... blurred vision. It came with sharp pains in my head. After a point I lost all of my strength. If Itegpa hadn't picked me up, I might have drowned in the Onsen water..." She shudders at the thought.

Bridgette blinks, honestly quite impressed. "Wow, Lazysnake Itegpa saved a life? I guess all it takes is proper motivation," she remarks.

Zan looks to the side when Bella bends over to dry her lower legs, but has a soft smile and the Approval Icon in his cybernetic eye, as he says, "That's good to know... I'll be sure to thank her for that later."

Bella looks over at Zan, and stands up straight. She continues to speak, "Mmhmm. Then I had an elaborate vision... Fire everywhere, a speeding train, a familiar castle, which the train crashed into, and the face of a powerful and frightening man..." She wraps her hair up with the towel, slowly becoming a little calmer, and not shivering quite as much now that she's dry.

Zan looks at her again, his eyes focused on her face. "And you are sure that the place you saw was Eihemland?" he inquires.

Bella's calmness fails to maintain, and she replies, "Yes. All of that was accompanied by weird energy surging through my body. When it ended, at the peak of my head pain, I could feel all of that energy discharge from my body. The others that were with me looked like they had just watched a car accident. I'm worried about my old home now, too." She looks to the side, trying to maintain her composure.

Kira puts her arms akimbo, and says, "Sounds like D.A.D. to me. Let's get you on an analysis bed." She turns to walk toward one.

Bella undoes the towel her hair is wrapped up in, hands it to Mitsie'minnie, and goes over to a bed. Remaining nude, which doesn't bother anyone here, she climbs on and lays back, and Kira and Natasha move mounted scanning units over her. Kira initiates the scanning system on the control terminal, while Natasha places an analytical headpiece on Bella's forehead. Kira stays at the terminal to input commands and watch the scan activity, while Natasha uses a hand scanner to make sure Bella hasn't suffered any physical harm. She is relieved when she finds none. Mitsie'minnie puts the towel away. Bridgette stands by Zan. She rests her chin in a hand. "I've heard of D.A.D. before, but why would Bella get it?" she asks.

Zan looks at Bridgette for a second, then around at everyone else as he speaks, "Do you know exactly what it is? Everyone carries within themselves the original dimensional harmonic frequency of their home realm, no matter what other realm they go to, and no matter for how long. No matter how far from their realm they get, they can still be affected by catastrophic events in their home dimension." When he finishes, he falls quiet, looking at Bella with concern.

"Tepia'su gave a pretty analogy with a comparison to the surface of water, with ripple effects," Bella comments, not moving on the bed as she's scanned.

Kira rolls her eyes, with a flat expression, as she snarks, "Pssh, sounds like something Misty would say."

Natasha leans close to Kira. "Hush," she says softly. Kira flinches, and has to restrain herself from snarling at the motherly Natasha.

Zan forms an impressed look as he slowly nods and says, "That's pretty good, actually. If Bella's home dimension is experiencing a dimensional disruption of a significant enough level, she herself may be affected by it."

Bella closes her eyes, thinking about all of this. "Misty mentioned though that someone has to feel affection for their home realm too, right?" she asks.

Teresa comes in, carrying Bella's clothing, but looking a little ruffled herself. She comes over and sets Bella's clothes on a table near the group. Natasha notices Teresa's dishevelment, and quickly moves to check her over. "Teresa, what happened?" she asks.

Teresa rolls her eyes, looking quite rumpled. She replies, "It took so long because Dewdrop wouldn't let me pick Bella's clothes up. She was sleeping on them, and when I tried to move her, she started squealing really, really loudly." She starts fixing her pigtails.

Kira looks at Teresa, snickers, and comments, "Like a car alarm?"

Teresa blinks. "...A what?" she asks.

Kira's amusement disappears, replaced by a dull look, and she mutters, "...I keep forgetting you came from a Dark Ages realm..."

Teresa, already annoyed to begin with, becomes slightly moreso as she murmurs, "Are you insulting me?"

Before Kira can speak, Zan continues the main subject, "...Yes, Bella, that is correct. A person needs to be mentally linked to their realm through one sort or another, such as affection." He looks at Teresa, and quietly adds, "Thank you, Teresa."

Teresa hugs Zan and gives Kira a glare that Kira finds more amusing than anything. However, Zan and Bella look at Bridgette. Bridgette tilts her head quizzically. "What?" she asks, wondering why the attention suddenly shifted to herself.

Bella cautiously says, "Misty said that's why you didn't experience this D.A.D. when your home realm had three Interdimensional Static points."

Bridgette looks away, folding her arms, and mutters, "Don't even get me started. I wouldn't care if Neverland fell into a Sinkhole or something."

Zan gives Bridgette a mildly distressed look. "What about all of the innocent people in that realm?" he asks, trying to conjure up some sympathy.

Bridgette just closes her eyes. "Meh," is her only response.

Zan just sighs. He shortly turns to look back at Bella, and explains, "At any rate, what is really getting to me is the fact that Bella saw an unfamiliar man's face. He must be the source of the dimensional disruption to show up in a D.A.D. vision. Eihemland may have an intruder taking advantage of the Static, or there may be someone actually creating the Static. But that description... Effeminate, long blonde hair, black cloaked suit... It's eerily familiar to me somehow." He trails off, putting a hand to the cybernetic half of his face in thought.

Teresa keeps an arm around Zan's own, and looks up at him as she asks, "Yeah, you don't know that many feminine men, do you master?"

Zan looks at her. "I've met many, actually, in my travels. But never personally enough, unless they were a powerful villain I had to fight at a point. That's what worries me," he responds, and Teresa can see said worry in his eyes, his cybernetic one showing the Concern Icon.

The computer system linked to the scanners signals a completion of its scan, and everyone but for Bella clusters to look at the results. Zan crimps the corner of mouth for a second, and mutters, "Well, there it is."

Kira announces, "Confirmed Dimensional Resonance Agitation within your Personal Wavelength."

Natasha adds, "In other words, you experienced a strong case of Dimensionally Associated Distress," and rests a hand on Bella's arm to show some comfort. Bella quickly begins to grow agitated again.

Zan's Concern Icon grows a little stronger, and he says, "Kira, please check Eihemland's Wavelength for Interdimensional Static."

Kira grunts, hops off the chair she was using and heads to a different, larger computer system built into a wall. Natasha gently removes the headpiece from Bella, and moves the scanning arms out from over her. She leans closer to Bella for a moment and asks, "And you are sure you aren't feeling any leftover pain?"

Bella, moving to sit on the bed, replies, "Aside from being really worried about my home realm, no, Natasha. Thank you."

Natasha gives Bella a gentle nod, and moves to put the item away. Bella climbs off the bed, and stops when she finds herself standing in front of Zan, in all her beautiful nudity. Bridgette lets out a soft huff of amusement, forms a smirk, and teasingly says, "Look what she's doing, Zan."

Zan keeps his eyes on Bella's face, and gently comments, "Yes. Bella, you are very beautiful."

Bella forms a blush, her body language suggesting that she is completely comfortable with standing before him in complete nudity, and replies, "Thank you, Zan." She looks down at herself again.

Teresa snickers quietly. Mitsie resumes helping Natasha sort things out. Bridgette lays a land on Zan's back as she leans closer to him and teases, "I bet you would like her to stay like that, wouldn't you?"

Zan gives Bridgette a mildly amused look. "She can do what she wants, but I doubt that will be her decision," he responds in a mature tone. Bridgette just gives him a flirty little smile and another soft huff of amusement.

After a moment, Bella begins to put her clothes on, though it could be noted that there is a distinct lack of any underwear amidst her clothing. Teresa helps her, though it isn't necessary. As she does, she recalls something, forms a smile, and says, "That reminds me. I saw a notice that your second-year anniversary is tomorrow!"

The Alarm Icon briefly forms in Zan's cybernetic eye. He ends up watching them, as Bella draws up her skirt, and she responds, "Yeah. Two whole years here. I love the Amethytus Estate, but I'll never forget my own home realm. Zan, if something is wrong with my realm..."

Zan's Alarm Icon is gone the next instant, and he nods as he replies, "I understand."

Natasha, standing beside a tray table and checking a medicine sample, comments in a sad tone, "It is a shame that something like this should happen on such an important date for you."

Mitsie, however, suddenly grows excited. "Or maybe it's destiny! Bella Chimes' triumphant return to Eihemland to save it from evildoers!" she proclaims.

Bridgette narrows an eye. "Mitsie, Bella was part of a villain group back in her home realm," she responds.

Mitsie's ears sag, and she looks sad. But then they bolt upright again. "Bella Chimes' triumphant redemption!" she exclaims.

The girls and Zan chuckle. Bella puts her shirt on. Kira can just barely contain her angry irritation at the group's banter. But when the computer signals completion of analysis, Kira's attention focuses on it. She reads the data on the screen, and frowns. Zan looks at her. "Kira?" he quietly says.

Kira, keeping her eyes aimed at the screen, responds, "Brace yourself, Bella."

Bella whimpers slightly, and puts her cat-hat on. It wiggles slightly, and she pets it. Kira proceeds to speak, "Interdimensional Static is confirmed in Eihemland. What's more, this Static seems to be extremely active. It definitely looks like it's being used as a passage from a different realm into hers." She narrows her eyes. "I can't get a reading on the other side though... ...Something's interfering with it. Stupid piece of junk!"

Zan flinches at the sudden outburst, and replies, "It's not junk, Kira. If something's interfering with it, it may be that powerful man Bella saw in her vision, or some sort of jamming technology. It's not rare for technologically advanced factions to discover Interdimensional Static and try to cover up their exploitation of it."

Kira just reacts, "Hnn..." and continues to study the problem, muttering.

Bella, however, is becoming upset, and says, "Zan... My home realm... I don't hate Eihemland!" She comes up and grips his arms again, shaking him as she pleads, "Zan, we need to save Eihemland! If there is some evil faction more powerful than my mother in that realm because of that Static, we can't ignore it. Please, Zan, we need to fix that Static!" She stares intently at him with trembling eyes.

He forms a warm smile as his eyes stay fixed with hers, and he gently replies, "Of course, Bella." He rests his hands on her shoulders, and she feels slightly safer. "Nothing would stop us from deciding to do that," he adds. Bella gazes at Zan, sensing he's about to say something more. "And it pleases me to see you so diligently desiring to save a realm you once caused trouble for. For that reason, I am going to put you in charge of this mission," he finishes.

Kira narrows an eye. Bridgette smirks. Teresa grins. Natasha smiles warmly. Mitsie'minnie becomes excited. Bella stares wide-eyed at Zan. Then, a big, confident smile forms on her face. "Awesome!" she exclaims.

~Waypoint 06: Complexities of Gravity and Adequacy~

Bella finishes getting dressed, cinching up her tie. And as she does, she grows more eager and determined to show that she has become a hero. Excited by the prospect of going to her home realm, she begins to chatter, "Eihemland's a wonderful place. Have you seen the forest of Magorok? It sprawls for miles of lush greenery, and my little sisters practically idolize the place. The Rime Peaks, with their sky whales and beautiful giant snowflakes will leave you breathless. The city's what I love the most, though. The trains are amazing works of engineering on par with my own skills, and everyone loves using them. Oh, I can't stand the idea that something bad might be happening there!"

Natasha watches Bella chatter, forming warm smile, and comments, "Seeing such a change of heart in you is wonderful in its own right, Bella."

Bella nods slowly, slightly distracted by the less positive memories. "I definitely regret my past actions... But this might be a great way to make up for them!" she exclaims.

Teresa puts her arms akimbo, smirking, and looks at Bridgette. "She's so excited now. It's like, the total opposite of you, Bridgette," she remarks.

Bridgette imitates Teresa's posture. "You too, you know. You wouldn't want to go back to Medea for any reason," she responds.

"Yeah, well, at least I didn't wish that my home realm got sunk in a sinkhole," Teresa retorts with a confident little sneer.

Bridgette furrows her brow as she replies, "I didn't WISH for that, I just said I wouldn't care."

Teresa maintains her smug little expression as she turns her head away. "Pretty much the same thing," she quietly remarks.

Bella cuts in, "And you all are going to help me!"

Bridgette, Teresa and Kira flinch, and everyone goes quiet. Bella, now standing proud, announces, "As my first action as leader of the Eihemland Rescue Team, I will assign my party members!" She elegantly gestures toward Zan. "Zan, I'm obviously going to have you help. You're my right-hand man!"

Zan finds this quite amusing, so he reaches out with his right hand, gently takes Bella's right hand, and kisses the back of it, causing her to blush slightly and immediately bringing about amused reactions in everyone else. "I shall lend you a hand," he replies, after the kiss.

Bella is stunned with a blush for just a moment, then slowly resumes her montage, "...Teresa, you're coming too. I want you to get to see my home realm." She forms a little smile with a snagglefang.

Teresa keeps her arms akimbo, and replies, "Naturally," her head held rather high.

Bella, slightly less elegantly, continues, "Bridgette, Kira, I'll have you all come along too. You've been there before, Bridgette, so you already know what it's like. And I just need to fill out the party."

Bridgette folds her arms, with a mildly annoyed look. She passes this look at Zan, and he returns it with a soft, forgiving expression. Kira, however, pulls back in great irritation, and after a scoff, responds, "So, what, you're just going to arbitrarily choose people? You need to be more careful with your decisions! Zan, this reeks of disaster in the making."

Zan gently gives her a gesture to ease up, and replies, "Now Kira, let Bella do her thing as acting leader. Our job here will be to support her, ok? And this will be your first chance since going to Medea to go on a mission."

Kira places the side of a fist against her forehead, eyes closed tight, as she mutters, "I'd rather stay in the MedLab."

Natasha steps closer to Bella, head tilted slightly. "What about me?" she gently asks with sincere eyes.

Bella gives her a soft, somewhat apologetic look, and says, "I think five people should be enough, Natasha. Thank you for helping me here, though."

Kira facepalms with an exasperated grunt. Mitsie looks disappointed that she didn't get picked, and whimpers, "Aww..." her ears sagging again.

Teresa gives Bella a concerned look as she asks, "Is that why you're not going to take Scytillia, too?"

Bella slowly nods. "Yeah, we will be more than enough. She'll get a chance to see it another time, and if you've gone first, you can tell her things about my realm when we make another trip," she explains, and Teresa forms a smirk.

Natasha rests the side of her tilted head in a hand, as she replies, "Hmm, very well. But remember, I'm just as capable of supporting you on a mission as anyone. I used to be a Shining Force captain you know. No need to hold me back because I'm the Estate doctor."

Bella surprises Natasha with a hug, which causes her to smile warmly and accept it. "I know. Thanks again," Bella says as she hugs her. When finished, she turns to face the others, and announces in an overly authoritative tone, "Now, team, the next step is to collect some flight gear! Eihemland is a sprawling country, and we're definitely going to need the advantage of flight to make any progress. Let's go to the Starport!" She promptly heads to the exit without even waiting for them.

Kira refuses to get out of her computer chair as she grumbles, "We haven't even left the Estate yet and she's already getting on my nerves. Where did all that fretful worry go?"

Bridgette is rather wary of Bella now, and replies, "Apparently it transformed into gung-ho determination."

Teresa, however, is amused, her arms still akimbo. "That's Bella for you; quick to take the lead, and very enthusiastic when motivated. She's right, though. We'll be more than enough. I don't know why you're complaining, considering the five of us are unstoppable, right?" she says, clearly using a goading tone. This succeeds in catching Kira's attention. Teresa chirps, "Let's help Bella!" and follows after her eagerly. Zan follows as well. With reluctance, Bridgette and Kira also follow. Natasha sighs, but has a soft little smile. Mitsie'minnie watches them go.

The moment they exit the MedLab, Mitsie'minnie promptly makes a beeline for the refrigeration tray. She hops up onto its edge, and eyes one of Kira's milk bottles. She reaches out, and grabs it with her little paws. A loudly audible clearing of Kira's throat comes from behind, "AHEM."

"MEEEP!" Mitsie squeals. She slowly turns to look at Kira in terror.

Kira is standing there, glowering, arms folded. Evidently she anticipated this act of milk thievery. Natasha, watching, places a hand over her mouth as she softly mutters, "Oh dear..."

Mitsie, trembling as though she were staring at death itself in the face, stammers, "I... Kira... I... wanted..." If not for the fact that she's already covered in snow white fur, she would probably have gone completely pale.

Kira stares very intensely for a second, then lets up with a sigh. She turns to walk to the door again, while waving her hand dismissively, and says, "Go ahead..."

"Wha?" Mitsie reacts, no longer trembling, but now confounded.

Kira briefly stops walking away, looks over her shoulder, and says, "You do realize I like to share my milk, don't you? All you gotta do is just ask! I'm not that selfish!" She resumes leaving, passing through the dilation door.

Mitsie stares, then quietly responds, "O-oh... Thank you..."

Natasha smiles, and speaks in a motherly tone, "Let that be a lesson, Mitsie. It's better to ask for permission, than for forgiveness." Mitsie nods, and takes one of Kira's milk bottles.

Kira rejoins the group outside, and Zan gives her a gentle head rub for being generous. She wildly swats her hands at him and yells at him for treating her like a kid. This just amuses him, but he does cease the head rub. Bella's group leaves the porch of the Western Haven.

After several minutes of walking, the group arrives at the Amethytus Starport. Located midway between the Northern Haven and the Amethytus Guard Spire, this facility is used for parking and maintaining the Estate's Air and Spacecraft. But aside from any personal construction projects one of the Entourage women might be undertaking, the facility is not used for the actual construction of aircraft. That is mainly done in the Gofer Sisters' underground factory, which has the facilities for such a task. At the moment, there are only a handful of vehicles in the otherwise spacious hangar, those being a TIE Interceptor, a Covenant Banshee, and a number of Ride Vipers. Zan keeps his TIE Defender mounted to its pylon on one of the open air landing pads out front beside the control tower.

Zan stops when he sees the emptiness of the hangar sprawl out before him, and groans, "...All this space... I keep forgetting that we still have all this space... It AGONIZES ME." His voice echoes into the chamber as though it were a cavern.

The girls snicker. Bella pats his shoulder teasingly, and says, "Don't worry, Zan. We'll fill it up in time."

Zan mutters, pretending to be extremely disturbed, "Note to self, hunt down more aircraft schematics."

Teresa blinks, looks around, then looks at the others as she asks, "Wait, where is that Lambda Shuttle we used last week?"

Bella replies, "It's still being repaired in the Gofer's Factory. The ramp joints and security locks were so badly broken they had to be completely rebuilt, and having that Ghost blow up inside the shuttle wasn't good for the interior, either."

Bridgette tilts her head back, looking quite annoyed. "All because that green jerkass had to go and yank it open the way he did..." she mutters.

Kira is also looking around, having not been in the Starport recently. "Weren't the Gofer Sisters going to build more fighter craft?" she asks, looking just a little surprised herself.

Bridgette crosses her arms behind her head, looking around with apathy. "They were, but they needed more room in their factory first. Something about the construction of capital ships taking priority," she replies.

Kira flinches very hard, stares at Bridgette, and exclaims, "Hold on, they're going to build capital ships? Where the heck are they going to get the resources?!" She immediately gives Zan a very concerned look.

He, however, looks back with genuine perplexity. He replies, "We actually have a pile-up of resources. They have plenty to work with. When's the last time you checked our Resource Data?"

Kira didn't know this information was publicly available, but tries to hide this fact, harshly folds her arms, and looks away for a second as she snaps, "Hmph! Then I guess you wouldn't mind if I expanded the Astrometrics and Elemental Fusion Lab sections of the MedLab!" She looks quite ticked off.

Zan simply says, "Actually, no. If you want to do that, go right ahead." Kira flinches, and her angry face quickly eases up.

She is quite surprised by this, but it definitely improves her mood to learn she has permission to do it. As the group heads to a storage bay in the back of the hangar, voices catch their attention. "Zan! Bella!" Tanya calls out.

Bella's group looks as several of Bella's friends approach them. Her interest in aircraft, as well as her personality in general, has helped her become close to several of the cat-like members of the Entourage. There are exceptions, of course. Those that approach include Tanya, followed by Cheshire, the agile espionage expert Malin, Teresa's and Bella's closest friend and Varkolyn fanatic Scytillia, and Fiquella, who is wrapped in a towel at the moment. One that is just barely enough to conceal her upper and lower critical points, and the entirety of her backside is visible, due to the presence of a black, velvety panther's tail, which the towel rests atop the base of. Bella smiles as she sees them approach, and responds, "Guys! Hey!"

Teresa quickly notices Scytillia's hidden face, and forms a mild look of dread, her pigtails sagging just slightly. She mutters, "Oh... Oh no... Scytillia doesn't look pleased."

Bella notices now, too, and grimaces. "...You're right," she replies quietly.

Bridgette narrows an eye. "How can you tell under that mask?" she asks, unable to even SEE most of Scytillia's face.

Teresa gives Bridgette a skeptical look, and says, "Friends can tell that, Bridgette. Can't you tell when Zan isn't in a good mood just by looking at him?"

Bridgette emits a soft grunt, looks at Zan, and can see that he is in a pleasant mood at the moment. Though when he notices that she's looking at him, he puts on a faux-wary look, causing Bridgette to huff in amusement. "That's different," she comments.

Teresa rolls her eyes. Zan chuckles softly. Bella's friends meet up with her group at the entrance to the storage bay. Fiquella pokes Bella's shoulder as she exclaims, "Going off on a mission, I hear!"

Scytillia folds her arms firmly, and adds, "And without me," in a grim tone.

Bella and Teresa urgently approach Scytillia, and Bella rests a hand on the side of her arm as she quickly responds, "It was a spur-of-the-moment decision, Scytillia. It wasn't anything personal. I just don't think we need more than five people."

"We'll take you next time! Really!" Teresa adds, trying to soften Scytillia's subtle contempt.

Scytillia is silent for a moment, and adjusts her mask slightly. "Yeah, fine," she mutters.

The two look a little concerned, but their attention becomes redirected, when Malin inquires, "When's the last time you went to Eihemland, Bella? It's been forever, hasn't it?"

Bella nods, feeling rather enthusiastic. "It has! I love Staveltess, but Eihemland is special too. I shouldn't have waited this long, but I kinda forgot before now," she responds.

Cheshire approaches Zan and stands in front of him. They make eye-contact, and say nothing at the moment.

Fiquella pokes Bella again, causing her to flinch, and in a sincere tone of relief, says, "I'm glad that incident in the Onsen didn't actually injure you, Bella." A dark look forms as her personality shifts, and she speaks in an unnerving tone, "I don't know what I'd do if my chewtoy was broken." The poking finger's claw peeks out just a bit.

Terror quickly envelops Bella for a moment, and she pales just slightly, as she reacts, "Ah-hah... Yeah, I... I survived, so..." She snaps back to normal, read: proud, and continues, "Oh, and Zan put me in charge of the Eihemland Rescue Team! I'm going to lead us to a resounding victory in this mission to save my home realm from evil invaders!"

The women snicker a little, flustering Bella. Cheshire, meanwhile, subtly rests a hand on Zan's arm. She whispers to him, "Please be careful. I sense danger in this mission."

Zan rests a hand on Cheshire's arm as well, the Appreciation Icon in his cybernetic eye, and he quietly replies, "No mission is without danger, but thank you for the warning, Cheshire." She slowly nods without a sound. Teresa and Kira overhear this, and give each other unnerved looks. Fiquella's cat ear twitches, and she frowns.

Bella, however, gives her friends a valiant look, then proceeds to go into the storage bay, which is an open-topped enclosure utilizing a ten-foot-tall chain-link fence made of sky-blue metals. The fencing allows for racks and shelves to be hung off of the network, from which also hang myriad tools, aircraft parts, the occasional decoration, and a napping bunk for the regulars to rest at. It is located at the rear of the hangar, beside a small office room, and even has a vault for the storage of any valuable aircraft-related items. The others wait for her outside the enclosure's entrance gate.

After a moment, Tanya's demeanor changes, and she says, "Oh, by the way, I heard that Misty and the Gofer Sisters got into a bit of a scuffle over their use of the main water lines for their robotic moray eel. You heard the thing got stuck in the pipes, didn't you?"

Zan stares, then sighs with exasperation, and comments, "That situation is just getting worse all the time. The combination of boredom and Gofer Sisters truly has a volatile result. They picked a cool creature to base their robot off of though. Did they manage to get it unstuck?"

Tanya shakes her head softly. "Not so far. Worse still, with it stuck in the main line, the water's backing up and the river and Onsen pools are draining," she adds.

Zan blinks, thoughtfully places a hand over his mouth, then remarks, "...Now might be a good time to clean them then. That hasn't been done for over a month."

Tanya's eyes widen, and she becomes enthusiastic. "Oh! That's a good idea! I'll let everyone know!" she declares.

Fiquella's ears and tail sag, she grimaces, and mutters, "Ohh... Count me out." Tanya gives her a disdainful look.

Kira has become very wary, and comments, "Now I'm GLAD I'm going on a mission to another realm." Tanya gives her the exact same look.

Within the storage bay, Bella goes to a large rack mounted to the back wall, rather than the surrounding fencing. On display on the various holsters of the rack, are a series of different personal-flight items. Bella takes down two surfboard items, identified as GravBoards, which sport built-in Anti-Gravity Modules, allowing them to fly at nearly any elevation within atmospheric conditions; and a backpack-shaped device, identified as a GravPack, with the same function, but of a different format. She hauls them to the rest of the group, and upon reaching them, announces, "Here you are! GravBoards for Zan and Bridgette, and a GravPack for Kira!"

Kira looks it over somewhat apathetically, and mumbles, "Hm, good choice, I guess."

Zan, however, becomes enthusiastic, with the Excitement Icon in his cybernetic eye. "Man, I haven't used one of these in forever!" he exclaims, as he checks it over.

Bridgette gives her GravBoard an extremely unsettled look, and she adds, "Me too, because I suck at using them. I've never been good at riding these things."

Kira takes off her red Japanese schoolgirl backpack she normally wears everywhere, and puts the GravPack on. "Well you better learn quickly then, cause with Bella in charge, we'll be flying around a lot," she remarks as she does. She puts the items of her normal backpack into the GravPack.

Bridgette, annoyed, just carries her board for the moment. Zan activates his and hops onto it right away. He floats there with an impressive stance. Teresa smiles, and brings out her own GravBoard. She hops on it, and flies circles around Zan. He chuckles. Tanya giggles. Fiquella watches for a moment, smirking, and comments, "The Tarbaby is as much a fan of Zan as ever."

Malin forms a cute smile. "Aren't we all fangirls of Zan?" she asks, watching Zan more than Teresa.

Fiquella points at Scytillia. "She isn't," she states bluntly.

Scytillia adjusts her mask again in a manner suggesting discomfort, and responds, "I keep telling you, he's just my boss, and a friend."

Bella forms a sour look and cuts in, again, "Okay! We're ready! I think. Bridgette, Kira, can I count on you to help me with this? We need to save Eihemland from whoever's burning it up!" She gives them a genuinely pensive look.

Bridgette nods, with a calm, but serious expression. "I will help, Bella," she replies. Bella smiles.

Kira rolls her eyes, responds, "Yeah, yeah," then takes on an arrogant air as she gloats, "With me coming along, any fire we face will be doused in an instant." Bella smiles still.

"Thank you," she says softly. Then, to the others, she announces, "We're going now! Thanks for seeing me off."

Tanya, Fiquella and Malin acknowledge enthusiastically, while Cheshire keeps a grim silence and watches Zan. Scytillia folds her arms again, then points at Bella and Teresa. "Just remember, Teresa, Bella. Next time you go to either of your home realms again, I expect you to take me with you. We're a power trio, remember?" she says earnestly.

Teresa smiles softly, nods, and replies, "Of course, Scytillia. I promise!"

Bella also nods, and apologetically says, "I promise, too, Scytillia. This was just such short notice and all."

Scytillia brings her hand back into her folded arms, but nods softly.

Bella looks around at everyone, then heroically shouts, "Let's go!" She brings out her staff-sized wrench, sits on it, and flies to the exit of the hangar. Zan and Teresa follow on their GravBoards. Bridgette flinches at being left behind, yelps, "Hey! Wait up!" and runs after them. Kira activates her GravPack, and flies after them as well.

Cheshire whispers in an ominous tone, "Zan..." Tanya, Malin, Fiquella and Scytillia give her a worried look.

Zan, Teresa, Bella and Kira fly out of the hangar bay. Bridgette runs out, and growls. She activates her GravBoard, hops on, and flies up and out to catch up to them. Immediately though, she starts moving erratically, and with quiet yelps, she struggles to maintain her balance on the thing. Zan looks back, points, and he and the others turn around to move and get beside Bridgette. Bella, quite surprised at her terrible flight movements, remarks, "You're gonna have to do better than THAT, Bridgette! At some points, I expect us to be flying a hundred feet or more in the air!"

Bridgette, frustrated already, shouts, "Shut up! I'll get it!"

"Bridgette..." Zan says gently.

"I'll get it..." Bridgette repeats, wobbling and staggering on the GravBoard.

They resume their flight, getting higher in the air, and heading south. They pass over the Northern Haven's rooftop deck, where a miniature crystal gate is located. This gate serves as a shortcut quick access point for the Amethytus Guard to jump from their Spire in the north, to the Amethytus Estate proper quickly, in case of emergency. It can be used in reverse too.

Bridgette staggers suddenly as they fly along, and with a shriek, she tumbles, her board darting out and upward from under her. Bella's group yelps, as Bridgette falls into the grand central tree. With a leafy crash, her shriek stops, and Teresa, Bella and Zan give each other shocked looks. Kira struggles not to laugh. Squawking is heard from within the tree. Bridgette's GravBoard floats in midair, doing nothing until Zan retrieves it. He prepares to head down to the tree, when Celest'va flies up out of it, with Bridgette hanging on to the Star Wyvern's snake body. She screams, "UN-FREAKIN'-BELIEVABLE!" and is quite red in the face.

Zan, seeing Celest'va provide a crash-recovery service, sighs in relief, and sets the board in the air for Bridgette. He gently takes her hand and helps her onto it, as he tenderly says, "Please calm down, Bridgette... It was just a minor spill."

Bridgette points angrily at Teresa, causing her to flinch, as she snaps, "Even the klutzy Tarbaby can handle one of these boards easily! Why can't I?!"

Zan holds her hand as he replies, "You're just out of practice, Bridgette..."

Bridgette shakes her head angrily, and shouts, "No! It's not that! I've NEVER been able to use these stupid GravBoards!" She stomps the thing, and it wobbles erratically, causing her to stagger.

Kira smirks as she remarks, "Maybe your sense of balance sucks? I've heard you were quite the klutz too."

Bridgette's eye twitches, and she snarls, "Ergh! I'm better than that now! I'll get this... I'll get this!" She wobbles on the board, trying hard to keep her balance.

Zan gifts her a compassionate look with the same Icon in his cybernetic eye. "I will help, ok?" he says softly.

Bridgette gives him a soft, upset look, and grumbles, "Ok..."

Teresa, standing perfectly still and balanced on the airborne surf board, adds, "And I've had plenty of practice riding brooms. I might, on rare occasions, trip or something," Her use of the word "rare" makes Kira snerk in derision, causing Teresa to pass an annoyed glance at her as she speaks, "but riding flying tools becomes second-nature after a while."

Bridgette just rolls her head and mutters, "Yeah, yeah..." She continues to wobble.

Zan gently speaks, "Calm down, Bridgette, calm down... You will certainly not be able to handle it if you're frustrated." She scowls. He faces Celest'va, and adds, "Thank you, Celest'va." He gently pets her bald vulture head.

Celest'va squawks happily and nods. She watches as Bella's group resumes heading south. Now, however, Zan is holding Bridgette's hand to help her maintain her balance on the board, and even then she swerves occasionally.

They pass over the Southern Haven, the rooftop deck of which has been completely covered over by a large nest of crystals, leaves and other assorted objects. The girls take a quick look at it as they pass by. Bella crimps the corner of her mouth, and comments, "I guess the rumors that Diasidia has eggs in that nest are bunk."

Kira replies, "They might be covered over to maintain warmth, you know," and also peers as hard as she can at the nest, while still moving forward with the group.

Bella blinks, then acknowledges this with a gesture of her head. "Oh yeah. I'd check, but she gets mad when we try to," she says, just watching as they pass the nest by at a safe distance from it.

They do not stop their southward flight, and head onward, passing over the garage. They notice Thysty, Lily Flyer and Jazzie Barbara there, and Thysty waves at them. They return the wave, and maintain their flight south to the Amethyst Gateway.

Within a few minutes, they reach the ziggurat-shaped structure, and just fly straight in to the pavilion atop it, at the back of which is the fan-shaped cluster of crystals that are the Amethyst Gate. Bella's group lands, and Bridgette nearly falls to her face when she hops off her board. Thanks to Zan's hold on her hand, she ends up swinging around and into his chest instead. She clings to him for a moment, then looks up at him, and he gazes back, the Love Icon in his cybernetic eye. She forms a mild blush, and whispers, "Thanks, Zan..." He, smiling lovingly, replies, "Anytime."

Standing between the group and the gate, is the great Nargacuga, Melaya, one of the four Gate Guardians. She is laying down at the moment, but tilts her head in curiosity when she sees them come in for a landing, and begin their approach to the gate. She sits upright, and comments curiously, "So what's this, now?"

Zan replies in all seriousness, "A situation has developed in Bella's home realm of Eihemland. She has taken on a leadership position in a mission to that realm to clear up some Interdimensional Static and a possible enemy invasion." Melaya arches an eye ridge.

"And I anticipate a perfect success," Bella adds in a grandiose tone of pride.

Melaya narrows her eyes, which proves a frightening sight on her beaked, cat-like face. She growls, "You haven't even gone to the realm to assess the situation, and yet you already anticipate 'perfect success'?" She leans in close, causing Bella, who is tiny in comparison to the massive panther dragon, to become incredibly nervous. "You should work on your humility just a little more before you take on leadership positions," she warns.

Bella, quite intimidated, stammers defiantly, "B-but, Zan said I could! A-and besides... H-how could I ever get any experience as a l-leader if I never take on the role?" She closes her eyes to resolve herself, opens them again and announces in all confidence, right to Melaya's face, "I anticipate a perfect success because I am completely confident in both myself, AND my team mates. Zan's coming! Teresa's coming! And we already know how skilled Bridgette and Kira are!" Bridgette and Kira become pleased to hear this, and their opinion of Bella's decision improves slightly. Bella continues, "And I have to go! My home realm is burning, and I have to save it! I have to!"

Melaya stares into Bella's eyes for a moment. She emits a soft, steady growl from deep within her throat for several seconds, then quietly replies, "...Hmm... Well, if Zan was the one who assigned the position... And you have clearly steeled yourself for this, so..."

She moves off to the side, out of the way of the group, then gives Bella a stern stare and continues to emit that soft growl as she adds, "Just remember, Bella, as the leader of this group, you are responsible for anything that happens. Bring them back safely, or else."

Bella, nervous again, acknowledges, "I will succeed. I promise."

Zan gently nods. "Thank you, Melaya," he says, getting a nod from her.

Bella's group approaches the gate. They face each other, and Bella, after a brief moment and a soft clearing of her throat, mumbles, "...I do have to admit one thing though. ...I forgot where the Amethyst Gate leads to, in Eihemland."

Kira and Bridgette immediately facepalm with groans. Teresa sighs, rolling her eyes. Zan takes this in stride, as he calmly states, "It is set in Rime Peaks. If the realm has been invaded, that should be a good point of entry, since the area is largely uninhabited."

Bella nods, trying to maintain her confidence, and replies, "Ok, good! Brace yourselves then. The first thing you will see is arctic beauty."

Looking a little wary, Teresa comments, "And arctic cold, I imagine..."

Bella nods, noting what needs to be said. "Does everyone have their Contour Barriers?" she inquires.

The group checks and confirms that they've brought their Contour Barriers, and activate them, creating the powerful energy shields that fit snug against the contours of their bodies, and become invisible a moment after activation. Zan then speaks in a valiant tone, "Proceed, Bella. Lead us to victory."

"Yes!" she shouts, and turns to go up to the Amethyst Gate, where she lays a hand on it. The gate activates, a portal forming within the fan-shaped cluster, and she exclaims, "Let's go!"

Zan, Bridgette, Teresa, Kira, and finally Bella, leap into the portal, and it closes behind them. Melaya watches them go, and sighs softly.

~Waypoint 07: Reverberation~

The Interspacial Causeway can best be described as a tunnel through the fabrics that separate one universe from another within the vast multiverse. These fabrics are impenetrable to all but one particular type of technology. Since they have their own unique frequency, and if that frequency can be identified, it can be neutralized in order to pass through. The multiverse was once a solid structure, each realm completely separated from each other, like a multitude of individual rooms inside a giant structure. But as is expected from time, the foundations, walls, ceilings, anything that can be described as barriers that separate the various realms, began to erode. Then the Andromedan Menace appeared; the ultimate enemy of the Amethytus Estate, and really, anyone who values the integrity of the multiverse. The multiverse is now cracked severely, realms bleeding into each other through the holes known as Interdimensional Static. Creatures and people from one realm have accessed other realms, with results for better or worse. The Amethytus Estate is one such example of a better result, and it is not the only conglomeration of denizens from different realms joining forces for the greater good.

From the perspective of those using the Interspacial Causeway, it appears as extremely fast, winding, almost warp-speed flight, within a deep blue tube-shaped tunnel with translucent walls. Beyond these walls, hues of purples, blacks and blues, and beyond them stars of all different colors, inch along, creating a strange contrast of speeds. While nothing is technically supposed to naturally exist in the empty void that is the gap between realms, it has long since become filled with objects, and even the occasional creature, most of which have slipped into the gap through the cracks of the multiverse, and found itself able to thrive. As Bella's group flies, they observe the beautiful sights of the void beyond: A comet speeding across the void, extraordinarily-shaped nebulae, a cluster of sky blue asteroids. They also observe objects that are not quite as beautiful. One such object is a wreckage of a huge space ship, likely destroyed during improper slippage into the gap between realms. And mixed with everything else they see, there are small pieces of random debris floating at various distances. Bella spots one particular object, and becomes appalled. "A _tire_? You gotta be kidding me! Zan, we need to do something about this mess too!" she exclaims.

Zan, staring at the tire as they pass it by, mutters, "I concur..." The others scoff in displeasure as well.

Their high-speed flight through the causeway continues, and they take note of other large pieces of debris, along with that same comet moving along at the same speed as them. In time, they pass close by a big, green planet, though it is not spherical, but is quite oblong and horizontally-superior. Bridgette blinks, smiles, and comments, "Hey, look! It's planet Boggob!"

Teresa stares at the peculiar planet, and develops a repulsed expression. "...That big, ugly thing is a planet? It looks more like a big, squashed rock with moss growing on it," she remarks.

Zan, however, also looks pleased to see it, though there is also just a hint of curiosity on his face. He replies, "It's a tropical, jungle planet. Interesting that we should get to see it like this."

Not long after moving beyond, Zan flinches. Swimming within the void, is a Marble Worm, a large xenomorphic creature that resembles a row of creamy-white spheres of marble. He smiles, and the Delight Icon forms in his cybernetic eye. "Oh! Now I am not surprised to see one of those things in the Subdimension Zone," he comments, and watches the creature sway about in the void beyond.

Teresa stares at it in amazement, and asks, "What IS that thing, master?" Zan just smiles at Teresa, watching her with pleasure as she watches the entity.

They continue on, shortly losing sight of the creature, though Kira spots another; a bizarre creature that can only be described as a curtain of tentacles, appendages and a snake-headed tail. It actually "watches" them pass by it in the causeway. Her eyes go wide, the scientist within her squeeing with fascination, and she mumbles, "Whoa..." She stares at it, and quietly adds, "What a specimen."

Teresa's mouth falls open in horror, her pigtails sagging in disturbance, and she shudders. "That... That thing was freaky..." she mutters under her breath.

Zan scoffs, catching them by surprise. He says, "I am hardly surprised to know the Unknowns of Gaia-7 got in here... This is the kind of place they belong, really."

Teresa stares at him, noting his amused expression, and also Kira's fascination, and closes her eyes. "I don't wanna know," she says bluntly.

They speed along, approaching their destination. However, as they travel, Zan's Alarm Icon suddenly forms in his cybernetic eye. He narrows his eyes, detecting a disturbance in the causeway. "...Something's happening..." he mutters, causing the girls to look at him. He looks around, noticing very minute arcs of energy forming on the walls of the Causeway, and growls, "...There's a disruption in the causeway..."

Teresa blinks. "Wh-what?" she responds, and starts looking around, trying to find what has caused Zan to say such a thing.

Kira also says, "What?" and looks around, not entirely familiar enough with causeway travel to know what to look for.

Bella sees the disturbance energies, but replies dismissively, "Well my home realm is dimensionally breached. It's probably just a side-effect-" A loud roar suddenly fills the causeway, and everyone's eyes go wide. A huge, rolling wave of energy blasts past the group, causing a rippling effect in the causeway walls. Everyone, originally in flight stances during the traveling, starts spinning uncontrollably from the impact. "WHAAA!" Bella screams in fright.

The Alarm Icon brightens in Zan's cybernetic eye, and he yells, "A REVERB WAVE!"

Teresa, spinning rapidly as she flies through the tunnel, screams distressfully, "MASTER! I CAN'T STOP SPINNING!"

Kira, spinning wildly, shouts in confusion, "WHAT THE HECK?!"

Bridgette, quickly becoming dizzy from the spinning, cries out, "AUGH!" and struggles to stop spinning.

The roar fades, then intensifies again, and another reverb wave blasts past the group, increasing their uncontrolled spinning. The girls start to scream steadily. And cracks begin to form in the walls of the causeway. "MASTER! HELP!" Teresa screams, trying to grab hold of Zan as everyone spins.

Kira, utterly confused, shrieks, "WHAT IS GOING ON?!" and tries to look around as she spins endlessly.

Zan shouts, "HOLY CRAP!" and is unable to stabilize himself.

Bella shakes her head, screams, "THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING!" and tries to stop spinning.

Bridgette shrieks, "ZAAAN!" as she flails, trying to grab him as Teresa is.

The roaring fades, then intensifies, and a third reverb wave blasts through. The walls of the causeway shatter like glass. They immediately reform, into a cluster of smaller tunnels, and each member of Bella's party gets sucked into an individual tunnel. The views beyond the walls are no longer visible, the walls of the causeway solid and a malevolent shade of reddish-black. Teresa reaches for Zan, and squeals horribly, "MAAASTEERR!" as she disappears into a tunnel.

The Terror Icon takes over Zan's cybernetic eye, and he reaches for her, shouting, "TERESA!" as he does. Then he sees Kira fall into another tunnel, and similarly shouts, "KIRA!"

Bridgette wails, "ZAAAAaaa-" and disappears into a tunnel.

Bella screams, "NOOO!" and disappears into a tunnel.

"AUGH!" Zan exclaims as he gets sucked into his own tunnel. He continues to spin rapidly, and whispers, "I... girls..." He brings a hand to his large cybernetic ear, starts transmitting, and shouts, "Bridgette! Bella! ... Kira! Teresa! Someone answer!" but gets nothing but silence. Then he notices something happening to the walls of the tunnel, and stares in shock and fear. "...What is this?!"

Zan notices that tiny little tunnels have formed all along the walls of the tunnel he has been pulled into. He yelps when his GravBoard suddenly yanks from his arms and flies off into one of the microtunnels. Then his left foot Plasma Cell rips free. He cries out at the sight, as his right hand, right foot and left hand Plasma Cells also rip free and all dart off into the microtunnels. His Contour Barrier crashes, and pops free from his suit, causing the Terror Icon to intensify in his cybernetic eye. It flies off into a microtunnel. His neotech tie comes undone and flies off into a microtunnel as well. He stares in utter horror and disbelief. "...My gear..." he whimpers.

Another reverb wave blasts through the tunnel Zan is in. Without his Contour Barrier to absorb the shock, he is immediately rendered very dizzy, his vision blurring terribly, even in his cybernetic eye, and sparks arc all over his cybernetic components. He groans, "...Crap..." continuing to spin and fly through the tunnel at top speed.

Ahead, Zan sees the light rushing toward him that is the end of the Interspacial Causeway fragment he has been pulled into. He can't do or say anything as he plummets helplessly toward it.

~CONTINUED~


	2. PT2

~-AEST-Trouble Witches: Nest of Disruption~  
~Waypoint 08: Attack of the Clones~

Eihemland City, a city of interesting technological mixtures, where people use trains, trams and balloons, but then there are some people who can fly using brooms, carpets and other seemingly innocuous household items. Computers exist here as well, and yet people are also aware of the Kinetic powers they ascribe to magic, connected to various tools that cause things to happen, such as "magic" cards, wands and devices invented by certain witches, unaware that all these devices do is act as amplifiers of Kinetic power to bring about the will of the user. The people seem to be going about ordinary daily business, but only from a surface glance does everything appear to be normal. In reality, the presence of small floating droids milling amidst nervous crowds hints toward something more sinister happening.

In the sky above Eihemland, five small disruptions form. Only people actually looking for them would notice. One of those disruptions opens over a rocky field to the west of the main city. This uninhabited dumping ground for large rocks that are unearthed during construction projects is quiet at the moment, with not a person present. Until Zan comes flying out of the portal in the sky above it.

Zan comes tumbling out of the portal, and immediately plummets toward the ground. Everything is intensely blurry in his vision, and all he can do is look around and reach in futility toward the portal he fell from. He falls, the wind whistling around him. Then he lands, with a sickening crunch, head first, square in the center of a very large rock. He lets out a harrowing yelp, and sparks violently spew from his cybernetic ear, which forms cracks all the way to its base. His cybernetic eye also goes blank, and a spark rolls across its surface. He slowly flops onto his back on the rock. It is extremely likely that more than just his cybernetic skull plates were damaged by the crash landing, as blood begins to ooze from his nose. He lets out a soft groan, and stares skyward with his flesh eye. Zan's cybernetics render him incapable of going unconscious, which is something of a double-edged sword. He cannot be knocked out by cheap shots from behind, but he also cannot escape intense pain by blacking out. He lays there, and does not move, the blood slowly flowing from his nose. Suddenly, a swarm of very tiny probes emerge from his cybernetic ear, and begin darting all around his head, firing tiny red beams of energy at it. Every point of contact from the beams becomes partially repaired. Zan's autorepair systems have been engaged, but he remains laying there, unmoving. "Bel...la..." he whispers, unable to use his actual voice. Blood begins to flow from a corner of his mouth the next moment.

Some distance from Zan's landing point is a simply massive boulder. So large, it has merged with a green, grassy hill. At the moment the top of this hill and boulder is shrouded in a peculiar, shimmering mist. Lurking at the front of this cloud is a young woman, wearing a pale fuchsia robe and a headband with a pair of red berries and rabbit-ear-like leaves atop it. She has a cold expression in her sky blue eyes, as she witnesses Zan's crash landing. A sparkle of faint distress glints deep within her eye, but she does nothing but stand there and observe.

Deeper within the city of Eihemland, in its downtown region, one of the portals forms in the sky. And out of it tumbles Bella Chimes. She falls through the sky, dizzy as well, having been hit by a reverb wave at the same time that Zan did. She plummets, but falls a shorter distance, as the portal dumped her out above a three-story building with a flat roof. She lands on the roof on her rump, and lets out a high-pitched yelp. She sits there for a moment, waiting for her vision to clear and the pain in her backside to ease up. "Oww..." she groans, as she sits there. She thinks, (I've had some hard landings before, but that was brutal.)

She staggers to her feet and rubs her backside. She brushes bits of debris off the back of her skirt, and freezes. Feeling just a bit lighter than normal, she checks herself, and her thoughts race, (My gear... MY GEAR!)

She remembers that she saw her gear fly off of her person as she was tumbling through that segment of the Interspacial Causeway. Her three large pouches she wears around her sides and backside, her wrench staff, her... tie for some reason, her Contour Barrier, and her cat-hat, all lost. She immediately feels her head, not finding her cat-hat, and panic grips her. (No! My kitty! Not my kitty! Where is she?! What happened to my gear?!) Tears form at the corners of her eyes as she looks around frantically. (Is this Eihemland?! Where's Zan?! Where's the girls?!)

She closes her eyes, hands clutched into fists, and tries to calm herself down. (Get a grip, Bella. Get a grip. You're not totally helpless. I have no idea what happened, but this does feel like Eihemland. We made it, but we got separated.) She looks out over the city, able to hear the bustling activities of the townspeople below. (I hope everyone is ok...) She sniffles slightly.

The whirring of a small droid catches Bella's attention, and she turns to look for it. She sees a small, aerial droid with a large lens approaching her, identified as a Camera Drone. She cocks her head to one side, and thinks, (What the...?)

The droid floats in front of her using a hovering propeller. It starts to emit a whine, and Bella stares at it. Suddenly the droid flares an incredibly bright burst of light, and simultaneously emits the distinct clicking sound of a camera taking a picture. The flash of light is so bright, it would easily blind a normal person briefly. But as Bella is attuned to the element of Light, the flare only causes spots to form in front of her eyes for a moment. Shocked by this, she rubs her eyes, continues to peer at the droid, and thinks, (What is that thing? Some kind of robot? It looks way too high-tech for the clunky stuff the people of Eihemland have managed to put together.)

The next moment, the shouting of a male voice is heard from another section of the structure's roof beyond an object, "Over there! The flash came from over there!"

"Wha?" Bella emits in quiet response. She turns again, and sees three young men come into view, around from behind a large, roof-top ventilation system. They are wearing leather pants and jackets, and sport white headbands. Bella immediately feels threatened by their presence as they charge toward her. They come to a stop once they get close, and Bella can tell right away they are not friendly, as they immediately take on fighting stances. "Wait! Who are you?! Is this downtown Eihemland?" she exclaims nervously.

Simultaneously, the three young men aggressively announce, "We are the clones of Kyo! And you will not stop us!"

Bella flinches, noticing the extreme hostility in the tones of their voices, and responds, "Stop you?! From doing what?!"

The Camera Drone takes another picture, and Bella grits her teeth in irritation. Her eyes widen the next moment when one of the Kyo clones leaps at her, swinging his foot for a flying kick. Bella jumps back to avoid it, and shouts, "What is going on?! Why are you attacking me?!"

"Shut up and die!" the Kyo clones snarl, and ready themselves to attack.

One of them holds up a fist, and it ignites into flames. Bella's pupils shrink at the sight. The flame looks identical to the ones she saw in her vision of Eihemland burning. This clinches it for her. She has no idea who these men who call themselves the "clones of Kyo" are, but they are clearly foreign invaders of the realm. The Camera Drone takes yet another picture, and the spots in front of Bella's eyes are starting to linger. She braces herself to fight these men, when a humanoid-shaped being of light blue energy, known as a Formless Kiman, rises up in the air at the edge of the building, and glides slowly and ominously toward her. It starts firing bolts of blue Ki energy at Bella, and she ducks and leaps to avoid them. She scrambles out of the way as the Kyo clone holding up the flaming fist suddenly thrusts it down to strike the roof, causing a wave of flame to roll toward her. She just barely avoids this, but another Kyo clone leaps at her to bring a fist down for an ax-punch. Bella blocks with her arms, wincing in mild pain from the impact, and counters with a swipe of her hand, fingers curved like claws. Her swipe generates a slash of Light energy that strikes the Kyo clone, but he barely registers it.

Bella furrows her brow, remembering her abilities, and thinks, (That's right! I am NOT helpless! I prefer to use technology, but I have AuraKinesis too!) She snaps at the Kyo clone, "Go away!" and swipes at him, generating more slashes of Light energy, but the Kyo clone blocks the slashes with his arms. The first Kyo clone leaps at her again for a second attempt at a flying kick. Bella ducks below it, and he goes over her head. The Formless Kiman continues to drift toward Bella and fire bolts of Ki energy at her, but she swipes her Light slashes to deflect the bolts. The Camera Drone takes another picture, and the spots in front of Bella's eyes grow worse still. She frowns angrily, and slashes the droid with Light energy. It wobbles a bit in the air, and a crack forms in its lens. A Kyo clone swipes a hand toward the ground and forward, and a burst of Fire is released that slides forward along the ground at Bella, an attack known as a Dark Thrust. She sees it just in time to jump over it, and brings two Light Slashes down on the Kyo clone still uncomfortably close to her. He jolts from the twin slashes, and backs up, still bearing a fierce and determined expression. The Formless Kiman does not cease firing its shots, and Bella jumps out of the way of one. The Kyo clone leaps at her, swinging a Fire-empowered fist for a mighty left hook, while shouting ferociously. Bella leans back to avoid it, the flames singeing the tip of her nose. She keeps backing up as the fighter continues his chain of attacks, following up with a harder, flaming right hook, and finishing with a left upper, all the while shouting aggressively. These attacks miss, but the heat of the flames frightens Bella. She counters the attack with furious swipes of Light Slashes, and while the first couple connect, the rest get blocked. Bella's grace in attacking with her Light Kinetics is highly unrefined, as she has had very little practice with it. The Formless Kiman strikes Bella in the side with a bolt of Ki energy, and she yelps in pain. The Camera Drone gets a good picture of her reaction. She has had all she can tolerate of the flash-happy droid. She thrusts a hand toward it, and launches a big, cat-paw-shaped bolt of Light, an attack known as a Cat Bullet. It starts firing off spinning, cat-claw-shaped projectiles of Light at the Kyo clones and the Formless Kiman, but the men easily dodge the projectiles, one of the Kyo clones smacking the shots away with his fists. The Formless Kiman takes the hits, which seem to have little effect on it. When the Cat Bullet's main projectile hits the Camera Drone, it bursts violently, causing the droid to explode and drop to the rooftop floor, smoke rising from it, its lens shattered and its propeller crumpled. Bella smirks, and says, "Good riddan-UNF!"

The Kyo clone still harrying Bella punches her across the face. Bella staggers back, holding her face, a shocked look overcoming her. Tears quickly form in her eyes, and she lets out a painful wail, quite similar to a cat whose tail has been stomped on. "HOW COULD YOU?! AAAHH!" she shrieks the next instant, gripping the punched section of her face in pain and shock.

Unrelenting, the Kyo clone is joined by his companions in menacing Bella, readying more Fire-enhanced attacks. The Formless Kiman looms ever closer, steadily firing bolts of light blue Ki energy. Bella's tears flow, and she realizes she's being overwhelmed. She looks around, and sees that the next building along the block is close enough to jump to. She takes off running toward the edge of the building. The Kyo clones flinch, scowl, and bark, "HEY HEY HEY!" They immediately take off after her, teeth gritted in anger.

The Formless Kiman turns to watch Bella run, and its barely visible eyes, mere sparks of slightly darker blue energy on its face, narrow sinisterly. It glides after her much faster than its slow attacking drift would lead one to believe it could move at.

Bella reaches the edge of the building, and without hesitating, she leaps over the parapet, across the gap between the buildings, and onto the roof of the next building. She skids to a stop, and looks back through her tear-filled eyes. The point of impact on her face from the punch has already turned deep red and begun to swell slightly. She grits her teeth, eyes wide, when the Kyo clones make flying leaps across the gap after her. She bolts, just barely dodging a flying roundhouse kick from one of the clones. The Formless Kiman glides along in pursuit without losing track of her position.

Bella flees across the roof of this building, rubbing the tears from her eyes so that she can see what she's doing. One of the Kyo clones lets out a harsh shout, and leaps at her, flaming fist coming in for a flying blazing punch. Bella runs behind a mounted sign, and the Kyo clone strikes one of the sign's legs, destroying it, causing the sign to partially collapse. Bella bolts again, heading to the edge of this building. She leaps again, just in time to avoid a Dark Thrust attack that blasts out a segment of the building's parapet, the debris falling into the gap between the buildings. The Kyo clones leap across the gap as well.

Bella can see that there is only one building left after the one she's jumped to. She keeps running, her composure slowly returning to her, and adrenaline coursing through her body. Her thoughts race almost as fast as her feet, (I wish I had my wrench! Then I could just fly away from these bullies!)

She races across the roof, and another camera Drone flies up into her face to take a picture. She nearly trips from the shock of the flare, but manages to keep her footing. She grabs the droid and it frantically tries to escape her grip. She shakes it as she snarls, "I'm gonna take you apart and find out what makes you tick!"

The Camera Drone lets out a terrified mechanical squeal and flares its camera flash again, but Bella kept it aimed away from her. The Kyo clones are upon Bella already, so she throws the droid at one of them instead, and takes off running just in time to avoid a twirling, flaming uppercut. The Kyo clone she threw the droid at smacks it aside before it can hit him, and it crashes into a capped ventilation duct. With furious grunts, the Kyo clones take off after Bella again.

When she reaches the edge of this building, she turns and launches three Cat Bullets at them before flinging herself across the gap between the buildings. The Kyo clones get pummeled by flying Light claws, and become distracted with defending themselves from the shots. When the bullets hit and burst, one of the Kyo clones is knocked onto his back and yelps in surprise at the potency of the shots. The other two manage to block with raised arms. The Formless Kiman passes them in continued pursuit of Bella. The Kyo clones shortly resume as well, leaping across the gap between the buildings. Bella looks around at the structure's roof as she runs, thinking, (This is the end of the block... This building should have a fire escape or something on it. I don't know what I'll do if it doesn't.)

She speeds across the building, moving around a rooftop access door and coming upon a small rooftop garden. For just a fleeting moment she wishes she could check it out, but the racing footfalls of the Kyo clones on her tail keep her from stopping. She finally reaches the perimeter of the building, abruptly stopping at the edge and causing a flock of doves to scatter into the air. She watches them for just a moment. (I miss flying already...) she laments, then hears the Kyo clones' fast approach. She growls, "Ergh!" and thinks, (They are so relentless!)

She looks around over the edge of the building. She can see people going about their business below, but cannot find a fire escape. She begins to panic. The Kyo clones come to a stop, and she looks over her shoulder at them. They have sneers.

They fall into fighting stances again, and the Formless Kiman hovers in the air, building up a charge of Ki energy to fire at Bella. She trembles, her eyes darting between the four enemies, her mind racing for a way to escape. She could jump over the edge, but thirty feet is too far for her to land safely without a Contour Barrier's shock absorption. It looks as though she may have no choice however. The moment of decision is upon her, when the Formless Kiman finishes its charge, and one of the Kyo clones ignites his entire self, preparing what looks like a devastating attack. Bella yelps, and jumps over the parapet's edge, narrowly avoiding the huge twin blasts from the enemies. People below spot Bella's edge-jump, and quickly get rowdy. She plummets, bracing herself for a painful landing. Some women on the street start to shriek at the sight. Bella falls, and lands on a large cloth awning over the building's door. She wasn't expecting this, and the tough cloth instead greatly softens her landing. She nearly tears through it, but ends up sliding down the awning and flopping onto the sidewalk of the street. The Kyo clones on the roof rush to the edge of the building, the parapet destroyed by the big blasts. They snarl when they see that she survived the jump.

Bella staggers to her feet and looks around. Everyone on the street is staring at her. She can see an oppressed fear within their eyes, and no one approaches her. After a moment to catch her breath from the frightening leap she took, she cries out, "H-help! Those men are attacking me!" No one reacts...

"What's going on?!" Bella shouts, looking around frantically at all of the people.

An off-center bun-haired woman gets a cautious look, and mutters, "Isn't that..."

Another woman, with a very large pair of glasses, flinches, a look of dread forming, as she responds, "It is!"

Both women frightfully shout, "That is Bella Chimes, one of the daughters of Amalgam!"

The demeanor of the people on the street shifts. Bella senses that they either become even more fearful, or are now hostile toward her. She yelps in shock when the three Kyo clones land with loud thuds on the street around her, cracking the sidewalk, and landing in kneeling positions. They stand up, with sinister looks. Some people immediately flee the scene at the sight of the Kyo clones. Bella stares in horror at the fact they have the durability to drop thirty feet and get right up. One of them punches his fist into his palm, a small spurt of flame bursting from the action. Another cracks his knuckles. A third sneers at her again. And the Formless Kiman glides down to join them. Bella takes a single step back, looking at them and the people around her as she exclaims, "Why won't anyone help me?!"

A teenage girl with a microscopic voice squeals, "Get out of here, you Trouble Witch!"

Bella takes a couple additional steps back. More people move away quickly. The Kyo clones sense Bella's intent to flee, and bark, "TOO SLOW!" while charging at her.

Bella turns to flee from them, her mind racing with confusion and fear. The people on the street quickly get the heck out of the way as Bella runs by, heading down a commercial block of downtown Eihemland. The street is quite filled with people, but yelps and exclamations of surprise and fear fill the air as they avoid the situation. Three Camera Drones join the pursuit of Bella as she fearfully races down the block. Working her feet as hard as she can, her thoughts also spin, (Everyone's afraid... of me... of these bullies... What's happened to Eihemland? I thought it had a stronger security force than this? I can't fight these men. My Light powers aren't strong enough, and I don't have my gear! My poor kitty... What happened to her?)

She slams into a man carrying a briefcase, and he yells at her. She slips around him, and he yelps in fright when the angry Kyo clones charge past after Bella. She dodges a trio of young women in matching dresses who squeal in fear when the Kyo clones race past. They look back, then at each other, and quietly whisper to each other. They freeze when one of the Camera Drones stops to "look" at them. When it moves on, they shudder.

Bella spots an alley coming up, and swerves into it to avoid a section of the street that has been closed off. She finds a stack of crates, and ducks behind them to hide, but one of the Kyo clones saw her do this. He leaps, with a roar, and kicks the stack, causing it to fall onto Bella. She shrieks and shields herself from the collapsing stack. One corner of a crate cuts her leg, tearing her thigh-length stocking as well, and she yelps in pain. She manages to climb out of the stack, and narrowly avoids getting kicked in the head. She falls over a crate, just barely dodging a shot from the Formless Kiman, and scrambles forward down the alley. A cat sitting on a trash can yowls when it sees them coming. It catches Bella's attention, and she pleads, "KITTY! HELP ME!"

For some reason, the cat suddenly pounces at one of the Kyo clones and goes ballistic on him. He screams in surprise as the cat slashes at his face. He manages to yank the animal off, and throws it over his shoulder, where it deftly lands on its feet and hisses fiercely.

Bella bursts out of the other end of the alley, surprising the people on the street. Some scream, and take off running, especially when the Kyo clones come charging out and turn to keep up their chase. The scratched-up Kyo clone suddenly sneezes loudly. The other two Kyo clones stare at him in disbelief, and one mutters, "...You gotta be kidding me..."

The scratched up Kyo clone's eyes are watering, and he groans, "Ergh... *SNORF*" The other two just emit soft scoffs of utter incredulity. The never stop chasing Bella however.

She races down the street, once again frightening people, who frantically avoid getting run into. More and more Camera Drones have joined in the pursuit, and now there's a small swarm of them, their propellers whirring like a cloud of locusts, following the chase. Bella cannot try to slow the Kyo clones down with her attacks, fearful of hitting the people on the street. She is understanding of their hostility, but wishes that it wasn't so. She pinches her lips, her thoughts musing, (The people are so scared... Have the invaders already taken over the city? I saw fire everywhere in my vision... And these bullies use Fire... Maybe that meant that they had already consumed the city? The castle! Something must have happened at the Eihemland castle! Zan... Where are you?)

Distracted by her thoughts, Bella plows into a crowd of young people waiting in front of a store, knocking half of them over, and they start to angrily yell. Their anger shifts to terrorized screams when the Kyo clones, Formless Kiman, and buzzing swarm of Camera Drones approaches them. Bella struggles to get to her feet, and narrowly avoids being grabbed by the Kyo clones. One particularly strong-looking man, however, throws a punch at one of the Kyo clones, clocking him in the face. They immediately turn on the man, shoving him against the building wall and yelling at him. The Camera Drones also become distracted by this, and Bella manages to take off running, the crowd in front of the building having scattered. The Kyo clones grunt in frustration at seeing Bella take off, and shift back to their original objective. The Camera Drones, however, go crazy on the man, taking myriad pictures. He has to shield his eyes from the constant flashes. But once Bella gets going again, and peers over her shoulder, she sees that only the Kyo clones and the Formless Kiman are after her now. (THAT man tried to help me... Maybe... maybe there are still some people in the city who are strong enough to help...) she wonders.

Bella sees another closed-off section of street coming up, and a different alley to duck in to. Standing at the corner is a young man in a sock hat with a table of items for sale. He sees Bella coming, and sees the angry clones chasing her. He frowns. Bella rushes past him, and swings into the alley. He casually steps to the edge of the corner to watch her flee down the alley, and the Kyo clones swing around to follow her in. The young man inconspicuously sticks his foot out, and one of the Kyo clones trips on it, dropping to his chin and sliding a short distance. The young man slips back to his original position and looks the other way. The Kyo clones failed to notice him do this, as he had hoped, and the two stop to see what happened to their companion, giving Bella a greater lead. The Formless Kiman, however, has not been shaken.

Bella runs and runs still more. She has broken into a sweat by now, and there is just a little blood from the cut on her leg. She is quickly growing exhausted, and laments within, (I'm so tired... I need to stop... I need to hide... But I can't shake them! What do I do... What do I do?!)

As she runs, she comes upon another stack of crates. Remembering what happened last time, she skips hiding behind this stack. Instead, she swipes a hand for a Light Slash to destroy a section of the crates at the ground level. The stack collapses into the alley between her and her pursuers. The Formless Kiman stops for a moment, briefly distracted by this obstacle, then builds a charge, and fires a shot. Bella runs and runs, and hears the stack practically explode from the Kiman's shot. She charges out of the alley and around the corner, and hopes beyond hope that the Kiman did not see which direction she took. She stands there, panting heavily, and looks around. There are only a few people here, but they too are staring at her. Directly ahead, across the street, is a large, pristine park. As Bella pants, a small smile of pleasure flashes across her face. The sight of the park takes her back to some of her younger days when all she knew was Eihemland, and the park was just beginning to be developed. Now it is beautiful and elegantly designed. The sound of the racing steps of the Kyo clones sends her off running, crossing the street, and she heads into the park. The Formless Kiman and the Kyo clones come out of the alley, and catch a glimpse of Bella heading into the park. They growl in irritation and give chase. The Formless Kiman, however, lingers, then rises up and away into the sky at a casual speed...

The park is sprawling, with a curvy network of cobblestone walks, surrounding lush, green lawns, all of which have a decoration of one sort or another, be it a luxuriant ornamental or fruit tree, a fountain, an artificial pond, a statue, a gazebo, or a flowerbed. As Bella runs, she tries to find a good hiding spot. She first ducks behind a tree, and stops, panting. The approaching footsteps of the Kyo clones causes her to freeze and hold her breath. Her eyes tremble, and she slowly looks to her left, where sees a Kyo clone standing there, glaring at her. She yelps, and jumps out of the way of a punch that hits and shakes the tree instead. Bella bolts, and dodges a leaping attempt to grab her legs. She nearly trips on the cobblestones, and runs onward. The Kyo clones are becoming even more irritated now. Bella has lost her lead, and races onward, past a couple of young people holding large cards depicting cryptic images, who watch in astonishment. Bella moves around a fountain. She ducks down, and builds up her Light energy as much as she can in her exhausted and frazzled state. The Kyo clones circle around the fountain, and Bella springs up, swiping her hands upward, creating a series of rising slashes of Light. The Kyo clones are hit by this surprise attack and yelp, falling backward. Bella takes off running once again, but one of the Kyo clones bolts after her in a rage. His fist ignites as he goes, and he leaps with a snarl. Bella looks back in time to be hit by the attack, which sends her flying with a shriek. She rolls on the cobblestones, getting bruised by them, and bounces. She tumbles into a pond, casting up a big splash of water. The Kyo clones approach, and Bella bursts up from the water, soaked to the skin. Her white shirt has now become almost completely transparent, revealing her breasts within, due to her lack of underwear. She catches her breath, and yelps when one of the Kyo clones casts a burst of flame at her. She ducks into the water to avoid it, scrambles through the pond, climbs out the other side, and takes off running again, leaving a trail of water behind her. She does not notice that her entire chest and breasts can be seen clearly now, and keeps running. She feels slightly cooler thanks to the water, and thinks, (That soaking was refreshing, but I need to stop... I need to hide... I can't believe how determined they are...)

She bolts past a bench with an elderly couple who yelp in surprise. They yelp again when the Kyo clones come rushing past. They look at each other in despair.

Bella, panting hard, almost completely exhausted, reaches the other end of the park, and finds herself staring at a large, luxuriant, park-front hotel. She takes off for the entrance to it. Numerous people on the street watch her go. Some of them notice her transparent top, but seem to have no reaction. When the Kyo clones show up, the people scatter in fear.

She reaches the entrance to the hotel, and charges inside. The people milling in the lobby area immediately notice her, and stare in confusion. Bella frantically looks around, and spots the front desk. The two clerks are staring at her too. She races over to the desk. When she reaches it, the female clerk, confused and nervous, starts, "C-can I hel- HEY!"

Bella flings herself over the counter, dripping pond water all along the way, and charges into the back office behind it. The lights off, she curls down in a corner beside a filing cabinet and tries to catch her breath. She shivers a little, her adrenaline nearly completely spent. (Finally... I finally managed to elude them... Zan... This is a terrible start to my mission... My own mission to save Eihemland, and I can't even keep the party together in the Interspacial Causeway! I'm sorry Zan... ...Where are you..?)

~Waypoint 09: Eihemland in Chaos~

In the next instant, the Kyo clones barge in to the lobby. Having finally lost track of Bella's position, they look around, wide-eyed with fury, causing the people in the lobby to panic and flee into the halls and back rooms. The desk clerks realize almost immediately that the Kyo clones were after Bella. But when the clones start throwing the lobby furniture around, trying to see if Bella is hiding behind them, the clerks become angry. One grabs a phone and calls someone. The other quietly wipes the water from Bella's dripping off the desk, while warily waiting for something.

Bella can hear the Kyo clones angrily shouting to each other, and remains curled up, wondering if the hotel staff will betray her. She finally begins to catch her breath at least, and feels that if she needs to bolt again, she may be able to. But she also senses just a slight sensation of calm begin to touch her. Then, different angry voices join the mix outside. A man with a highly authoritative, almost regal-sounding voice, roars, "STOP THAT!"

One of the Kyo clones snaps, "SHUT UP!"

The authoritative voice viciously snarls back, "YOU'RE WRECKING THE PLACE!"

The Kyo clone arguing with him responds, "I SAID SHU-ERF!"

A different man with a very southern country accented voice barks, "GET THE HECK OUT!"

The voice of the male clerk that Bella practically jumped over adds, "YOU'RE SCARING OUR PATRONS!"

One of the Kyo clone shouts, "WHERE IS THE GIRL?!"

Bella shivers, but her eyes widen at what she hears. "WHAT GIRL?! GET OUT YOU FOOLS!" the male clerk shouts in response.

The Kyo clones, clearly offended, bellow, "FOOLS?!"

Fighting sounds ensue, with everyone grunting and yelling at each other. However, it sounds like the entire hotel staff has descended upon the Kyo clones. Bella develops a fearful look when she clearly hears one of the Kyo clones use a Fire attack. But then the distinctively-sounding rush of a fire extinguisher is heard, and the Kyo clones start yelping. A woman with a voice that makes her sound like a five-year-old shrieks, "DON'T MAKE ME HIT YOU WITH THIS TOO!"

A Kyo clone hollers painfully, "I'M ALREADY GETTING HIT BY A LUNCH CART! OW! CUT IT OUT!"

A different woman with a very husky voice bellows, "GET OUT ALREADY! YOU'VE ALREADY TRASHED OUR LOBBY!"

The man with the authoritative voice roars, "THIS LOBBY'S THE FACE OF OUR HOTEL! YOU'RE RUINING OUR FACE!"

The sounds of the fight start to turn one-sided, and the Kyo clones emit yelps, "GAH!" "OOF!" "GEEZ!"

The fighting sounds then begin to subside, finishing off on a high note with loud glass breaking and a particularly pained yell from one of the Kyo clones. Silence takes over, with just a slight groaning of a Kyo clone being the only thing audible, and the female clerk, with a tone of astonishment, comments, "...Did you have to use the coffee table?"

The big-sounding woman angrily responds, "He PUNCHED me. He friggen PUNCHED MY CHEST. NO ONE gets away with that!"

All goes quiet, until the jingle of bells at the lobby door chime intensely, finishing with a loud slam of a door shutting hard. Bella lowers her head in extreme relief, and feels about ready to faint. She notices at this point that her top is transparent from the soaking she got, and narrows an eye. The quiet murmuring of the hotel staff draws near, and Bella becomes nervous again.

The next moment, all of the hotel staff members surge into the office where Bella is hiding. A man in a manager's suit turns on the light, and they find her tucked in the corner beside the filing cabinet. She looks up, and can see that they are all slightly disheveled from fighting the Kyo clones. They are all glaring at her.

The hotel's manager, clearly a person who values physical appearance, is wearing a very formal, almost regal suit that very fittingly matches his voice. "Get up," he growls.

Two of the other women beside the female clerk are maids. One of them, a tiny little cute thing with the five-year-old's voice, comments, "Hey, isn't that?"

"That's what I said. Bella Chimes, a daughter of Amalgam," the female clerk responds with a stern demeanor.

The other maid is a big, brutish woman who looks as though she could single-handedly carry the lobby furniture around. Her's is the husky-sounding voice that evidently used a coffee table on one of the Kyo clones. She remarks, "I haven't seen any of the Trouble Witches in over two years. Didn't they get driven off?"

"Apparently not," the male clerk, who has a huge tear in his jacket now, replies.

The manager's face turns red and fierce, as he snarls, "GET UP, TROUBLE WITCH!"

Bella climbs to her feet quickly. She holds out her hands defensively and whimpers, "Please... please wait a moment."

"I am holding YOU as responsible for the destruction of the lobby as those foreign thugs!" the manager snarls, pointing his finger out, but not directly at her in a scolding manner.

Bella cannot respond. The third man of the group is definitely a janitor, and was evidently the one speaking with the country accent. Both he and the little maid notice right away that Bella is wiped out. They can see through her shirt, she's covered in sweat, there is a pond leaf in her hair, her leg is cut through the sock, she has a big red bruise on her face, and she generally looks completely trounced. She can still feel a calm touching her though, but at the moment is distracted by the hotel staff. Feeling just a little pity for her, the soft-spoken janitor says, "Hang on a sec, boss."

The manager snaps his head to look at the janitor, and barks, "What?!" causing the janitor to shrink back slightly.

The little maid, however, does not seem as afraid of the manager as the others, and softly speaks, "Look at her. She's all beat up. They were clearly hunting her."

Bella nods, trying to keep control of the situation, as she exclaims, "Yes, they were! I tried to fight them, but they ganged up on me, and there was a floating energy being and an annoying little robot that kept taking pictures with a ridiculously bright flash."

The big maid's jaw drops. "Holy carp, you tried to FIGHT them? All of them, on your own? Are you NUTS?" she yelps.

The manager, still slightly red in the face, adjusts his tie, as he growls, "She's a trouble witch. She's always looking for trouble."

Bella fretfully shakes her head as she responds, "No I'm not! On both counts!" She looks at them with very distressed, tear-filled eyes.

The janitor's feeling of pity for her overrides his fear of his boss. "I think we should give her a chance to explain at least, boss," he carefully and compassionately comments.

The manager, calming down a bit, brings a hand to his chin, and emits, "Hnn..."

The female clerk looks down and to the side in thought. "The Trouble Witches were defeated a couple of years ago, and we haven't heard from them since. Maybe they're not trouble anymore?" she speculates.

Bella's demeanor sinks slightly when the more negative thoughts of her family's dark past take over for a moment, and she says, "I don't know about my sisters. I haven't seen them in two years myself." She looks a little distraught as a result.

The manager takes a seat, crosses his legs, and stares at Bella. She can't quite tell if he's staring at her face or her chest, exposed through the transparency of her soaked shirt. For that matter, while it is clear that the other staff can see her chest too, no one remarks on this, or even seems to react. Finally, the manager rolls his hand at the wrist as he acknowledges, "Fine. Go on."

Bella looks around at the staff as she explains, "I don't work for my mother anymore. When she assigned us to guard a piece of the Draupnir, a team of good witches, being helped by a powerful man who is half machine, came along to stop us. ..." She blushes slightly, forming a soft smile. "I fell in love with that man, and after he defeated the Draupnir, he came back, and took me with him to his home in another dime- ...in a different country," she finishes.

The hotel staff silently stare at her or each other. With the silence very oppressive, Bella adds, "I haven't seen my mother or sisters since, so even if they might be up to something, I wouldn't know about it. I promise! I'm actually here to save Eihemland from these weird fire guys!"

Some of the staff scoff at the idea, and the manager gives her a sharp glare as he remarks, "You're doing a mighty fine job of inflicting collateral damage."

Bella looks down and to the side, gripping her upper arm with her opposite hand. "I'm sorry about that... Like I said, I tried to fight them, but I lost all of my stuff while traveling here, and they ambushed me. Who are those guys anyway?" she inquires.

The staff becomes wary, and keep silent. Bella stares at them for a moment, noticing their hesitation, and adds, "They're not from this realm, I know that much. I never saw them before when I lived here. Everyone runs from them. I've seen a couple people try to fight them."

The male clerk, tweaking at the tear in his jacket, interjects, "Only to get beat up, of course. Those thugs are almost brainless in their insatiable desire for violence. But we don't know anything. Don't bother asking."

Suddenly the little maid, bothered by the lack of cooperation, speaks up, "They took over the city one day, and we've been-mph?" The big maid puts her hand over the little maid's mouth, and shakes her head slowly. The little maid whines a muffled whine.

Bella takes note of this, and lets out a discouraged sigh. "...I understand. If you talk about it, you'll get in trouble..." she says.

The manager rests his hands on the arms of his chair, replies, "You have no idea, kid," and stands up. He continues, "Now, I'd appreciate it if you left before you draw in any more trouble. I'll allow you to go free, since you don't seem directly intent on causing us any problems."

Bella gives him an appreciative look, but is still quite tired, and, with pleading eyes, says, "Thank you, but... Please give me a minute... I've been running from them for almost an hour... I'm so tired, and I have no idea where my friends who came with me are... ...Oh! Maybe you can help me with that!"

She gets skeptical looks. This discourages her still more, but she speaks anyway, "...All I want to know is... Did any of you see any kind of strange phenomena in the sky? Like, small purple holes opening, and something falling out? ...Or did you see a man in a purple tuxedo, a girl with long pink hair and pointy ears, a little blue-haired girl in a one-piece swimsuit, or a girl wearing black, with rabbit-ear pigtails?"

The manager is quick to answer, "No."

The clerks also slowly shake their heads. However, the little maid muffles, "Mmphmm!" This causes the big maid to take her hand off the little maid's mouth. "I saw something weird like what you said! I was on the tenth floor cleaning a room on the western side, and I was cleaning the window, when I noticed some kinda flash in the sky way off over the Stonedump Field. Could have sworn I saw a dark-colored, man-sized object fall from that flash," the little maid says excitedly, eager to help Bella for some reason.

The manager snaps an ineffective glare at the little maid, and passes his eyes over everyone as he warns, "You've said enough. If we help this girl any more, it will surely come back to bite us."

The little maid is frustrated, but notices that Bella seems to have become distracted. As she stands there, thinking about this, she finally comes to notice that peculiar calm, touching her. She senses that it feels familiar, and realizes that it seems to be reaching her from the west. Her thoughts whisper, (This feeling... Is that... Zan's Tranquility Aura? Could I be feeling it from this far?) She looks at the hotel staff, and asks, "West is... that way," she points west, "right?"

The little maid enthusiastically nods as she responds, "Mmhmm."

Bella is clearly wondering about that sensation, and after a second, says, "...Ok. Thank you... I'd... give you some money or something for the damage, but... I lost all of my stuff, like I said."

The manager just grimaces, and mutters, "It's fine. Just go."

The janitor seems genuinely astonished at his boss's actions, and comments, "That's awful generous of you, boss."

The manager throws dagger-glares at the janitor as he bellows, "Shut up and get back to work, or you're FIRED," his face turning red on use of the last two words.

The janitor yelps and scurries out. The manager swings his red-faced shouting at the rest of the group as she adds, "The rest of you get out there and help clean up that mess too!"

The staff acknowledges, and heads out quickly. The manager looks at Bella, and sees that she has an eye narrowed. She mumbles, "...Umm..."

"What?!" the manager barks, one eye wide, the other narrow, face red like a tomato.

Bella, clearly distracted by his behavior and not actually afraid of him anymore, says, "...You wouldn't happen to know a certain Park Manager by any chance, would you?"

The manager pulls his head back, his red face lightening just slightly as he gives her a strange look. "Of course I know Mr. Benjamin, the park manager. We collaborate for park and hotel events," he replies, with no clue as to what Bella is getting at.

Bella forms a slightly amused look, one fang tip peeking out, as she remarks, "...Ok, you don't know the park manager I'm referring to, but you remind me of him."

The manager shakes his head with a very aggravated look as he says, "Will you just get out already? You've already done enough damage."

Bella bows her head apologetically, and responds "I'm sorry..." She immediately moves to leave the office.

The manager follows her as she leaves the office, exits from behind the clerk desk, and heads to the front entrance. She stops for just a moment to take note of the damage. The entire lobby's rest area has been demolished, and looks as though a tornado, a flame-thrower and a grenade launcher we used on it. She gets a little nudge from the manager, and resumes leaving, going out through the hotel's front entrance.

The moment she steps outside, she looks around fearfully, but sees nothing but regular people. They notice her, and start whispering. However, the Kyo clones are nowhere in sight, and neither is the Formless Kiman or a Camera Drone. Bella looks around at the murmuring people, and thinks, (I can feel the oppression in the air. This is not the same feeling as what I got when I came to this city before. Something has definitely happened. The little maid said that the city was taken over in one day. The only way that could have succeeded is if something happened at the castle... I need to find Zan!) She closes her eyes for a moment, and focuses on the feeling of calm she senses reaching for her. Still coming from the west, she senses that it is indeed Zan. Her eyes pop open, and she looks west. She will have to pass through more of downtown Eihemland City to get there.

She heads down the sidewalk, passing by the people that are observing her. Her thoughts begin to stray toward what she's lost, and a miserable look overcomes her. She continually notices that her cat-hat is gone, and starts noticing the pain of the bruise on her face. She groans, "Ow..." and rubs the red bruise, which only makes it feel worse, causing her to grunt, "Ngh..." Her thoughts pine, (My little kitty... She's so helpless... I wish I knew where she was...)

Bella heads west, eventually reaching another district of downtown Eihemland City, where people are moving about in their own activities. Half of them notice her. Either they recognize her right away, or they take note of the fact that her chest is visible through the slowly-drying top. But they all stay quiet and hushed, and keep their distance. This bothers Bella a bit, but she keeps moving.

A small group of droids, slightly larger than the ones that wield cameras, flies by overhead. Bella watches them go, and notes that they are armed with small underside blasters, but doesn't recognize them. She does note that the people keep their wary eyes on the droids though, and suspects that they are part of the invasion force. She continues moving.

As she turns a corner, finding herself at a "T"-intersection, she freezes in fear. Three Kyo clones are moving in her direction. While identical to the ones that were hunting her, it is clear they are different ones. She quickly backs around the corner, and turns to look in a building window. The Kyo clones pass her by, without even acknowledging her presence, and she exhales. After a second, she flinches when a man, a store clerk, standing on the threshold of the building she's staring into speaks to her, "Uhh... Can I help you?"

Bella realizes that she's staring into a small restaurant. She suddenly notices that she's just a tad hungry as well, but without money, she can't get anything. She looks at him, notices the wary eye he's giving her, and replies, "Oh, no... I'm sorry, I was just..."

"Hiding from the thugs? Don't blame you. Can you do me a favor?" the clerk interjects, keeping his hands together in front of him.

"What is it?" Bella replies, curious.

The clerk's demeanor darkens into hostility, and he growls, "Scram. Trouble Witch, you're making my customers nervous."

Bella looks in the window again, and sees every single person at tables within view staring at her fearfully. She lets out a slight whimper, gives the clerk a distraught look, sadly comments, "I'm not a Trouble Witch anymore..." and moves around the corner to leave.

She presses on, frustrated, in pain, and nervous. Her thoughts lament, (This is so lame. I haven't caused any trouble for two years here, yet my old reputation remains intact. I love this city, but everyone is still scared of me. If I could just find my friends, we could fix this situation!)

She picks up the pace, and starts heading down the city block, feeling a determination to resolve this issue. Her serious expression unnerves more people though, and they stay out of her way. She keeps her focus on Zan's faint Tranquility Aura, and the more she concentrates on it, the more she feels certain it is to the west, where the little maid said she saw him. Bella reaches another "T"-intersection, crosses the street and starts heading westward again.

This street is a little less active than the others, and Bella notices a small group of young people clustered around the stoop of a building entrance. As Bella goes by, she overhears one of them, a young, black woman mutter, "Ain't that..?"

Bella braces herself. A second young woman with a southern accent of her own, responds, "It is!"

A young man wearing a hoodie speaks in a stoic tone, "Check it out... Bella Chimes, the Gear Witch..."

Another young man with them, wearing a slightly disheveled school uniform, comments, "Whoa... I can see through her shirt!"

The black girl speaks in a louder tone, "What happened to her? She's all beat up! Hey, wait a sec!"

Bella stops, and looks at them. She is surprised when they approach her, looking enthusiastic. The southern girl checks her over as she comments, "You look terrible! Have those brutes been attacking you?"

In an overly dramatic manner, the more lively young man clasps his hands together close to his face as he exclaims, "Oh, that lovely face, bruised! I oughta kick their asses!" He shakes his fist angrily in no particular direction.

The stoic young man points at Bella's head and says, "You have a leaf in your hair..."

Bella looks up, reaches, finds, and removes the leaf. After dropping it, she realizes that these young people are really quite friendly. "Wait, you're... excited to see me?" she asks.

The young black woman is quite excited, actually, and replies, "Definitely! You're the Trouble Witch Bella Chimes, right? We're fans of yours!"

Bella's eyes go wide, and her mouth opens slightly. "...Hahaha, fans? I have fans?" Bella says in complete amazement.

The southern belle-esque girl pinches her lips. "Let me guess: everyone's been avoiding you because of that," she says, looking disappointed.

Bella puts a hand akimbo and gestures with her other hand as she responds, "To say the least. But it's nice to know some people like me! You might be disappointed to know I'm not a Trouble Witch though. I've joined a team of heroes. I even came back to Eihemland to save this realm from these invaders."

The young people look at each other, and become even more pleased. The dramatic young man clenches his hands into fists as he smiles big. "That's awesome! Bad guys always lose, so you'll be on the winning side then!" he cheers.

The black young woman also cheers, "You go, girl!"

Bella, flattered, forms a sharp little smile with a snagglefang that catches the dramatic young man's attention and excites him. Bella says, "Well right now I'm in a bit of trouble myself. I've been separated from my friends, and I'm heading to where I think one of them is."

With an inciteful look, the southern young woman suggests, "Hey, why don't you summon that mighty battleship of yours? I bet even these 'Kyo-whatevers' would run from you then!"

The eyes of the stoic young man in the hoodie dart to one side, then widen in alarm. He grips the top of his hood, pulls it down a bit to shadow his eyes, and growls, "Oh crap, speaking of which..." With a subtle point of a finger from his free hand, he directs their attention to a small group of Kyo clones entering the block.

Blowing their cover with an overly-dramatic yelp, the other young man shouts, "Scatter!"

The youths flee in different directions, and Bella moves behind an empty vendor booth. The Kyo clones' attention is caught by the yelp, and when they see the youths flee, they bark, "HEY HEY HEY!" and bolt after them. Fortunately, they didn't identify Bella before she took cover.

(...My battleship... Palindrome! I should have thought of that sooner!) Bella realizes, wide-eyed and becoming excited.

She concentrates, and tries to contact Palindrome. However, her focus turns fearful when she realizes that she can't even sense Palindrome, much less contact it. It feels as though there is an oppressive ceiling in the air over her head, blocking her thoughts from going beyond the realm she's currently in. Her heart begins to beat quickly, and her thoughts spin, (What... What is this?! I can't... I can't contact my Guardian! Something's... blocking me! What's wrong?! Is this connected to the invaders too?! How powerful are they?! What have they done that could block my- Ngh! ...Stay calm... Stay calm... If I can find Zan, I should be alright...) She takes a deep breath, connecting back to the faint touch of Zan's Tranquility Aura.

Bella checks to make sure the coast is clear, then resumes heading down the block. She crosses an intersection into another block that is more active again. This particular area is loaded with small shops, and one of them is generating noise. Bella passes in front of this shop, and notices that it is an electronics store. In the window are half a dozen flatscreen televisions, broadcasting simultaneously a news channel. Bella notices that the newscast is talking about the current state of affairs. There are a couple of other people also watching. They notice Bella right away, some of them becoming briefly distracted by the transparency of her top. But when she stops to observe the broadcast, they eventually resume watching it themselves.

The anchorman's voice chatters, "-and the king announced in a closed forum today that the new leadership will be taking affect by the end of the week. Is Eihemland's freedom in jeopardy? Will these foreigners turn the region into a police state? Already the people are beginning to express their disturbance."

Bella stares intently at the scenes on the TV, listening to the announcer, and thinks, (This is as big as I thought... These strange people... Maybe that blonde man I saw in my vision is responsible for this. They've gotten to the king... That's unbelievable. And these 'Kyo clone' thugs... they must be the troops of the invaders. That explains all the droids too.)

As she watches footage of protests out front the castle, she catches a glimpse of a man, facing the protesters, in a suit nearly identical to the one she saw the blonde man wearing. Only this man has darker skin and short hair. But the suit is what catches her attention. He has a number of Kyo clones around him, and they look ready to launch themselves at the protesters at any given signal. She doesn't get any further time to watch however, when she suddenly hears the distinct whirr of a Camera Drone approaching. She looks at it, and finds herself staring at another big lens. She narrows her eyes, and the people with her move away quickly. Just before the droid takes a picture however, Bella suddenly strikes a fancy pose, arms reaching out to one side dramatically, and the Camera Drone ends up taking a picture of it. The droid seemingly "flinches", even though it lacks a face. It hovers there for a second. Then tries to take another picture, only for Bella to strike a rather sexy pose, turning suddenly and thrusting her backside toward the droid while winking. The droid's demeanor changes, somehow, to one that greatly resembles irritation. The people in the area begin to chuckle. The droid turns and flies off, and Bella snickers. "No transparent top photos for you!" she calls out at it as it leaves. She forms a fanged smirk and thinks, (They must be programmed to harass people, and if you show irritation, they keep it up. I bet they can't compute people being immune to their flares.)

Frightened cries and exclamations suddenly erupt, and the crowd scatters. Bella feels an immense energy build-up developing behind her, and she turns around. She finds herself facing a Formless Kiman. Quite possibly the one she encountered before, as it is the same light blue color. It glowers at her, and, eyes wide, she yelps, "Where did YOU come from?!" She silently muses, (Did this thing get drawn in by the camera robot?!)

The Formless Kiman fires a bolt of Ki energy at Bella nearly point-blank, but she blocks it with a barrier of Light energy, a Light Screen. The hiding people peer out and watch as Bella attempts to fight the Formless Kiman, slashing at it with Light energy. The enemy seems resistant to this element type however, and counterattacks with bolts of Ki energy from its chest. Bella flips sideways to avoid the shots, and thrusts a hand, firing a Cat Bullet. The Formless Kiman takes the recursive projectiles it fires, but when it is hit by the shot itself, the burst sends it flying back against the window of the electronics store, severely cracking it. It pushes itself back into the air, its eyes narrowed in anger, and starts spraying shots at Bella. She deflects as many as she can, but when one of them strikes her shoulder, she yelps. "I will never get used to fighting without my barrier!" she complains, as she takes off running again.

The Formless Kiman glides after her, firing shots. The hiding people start to murmur, "Did that Trouble Witch, Bella Chimes, try to fight one of the invaders?" "New word on the street is that she came back with that specific intent." "Maybe we will be saved after all." "HUSH!" The murmurers hide from a lurking Camera Drone.

Bella, racing down the block, frets silently, (Here we go again! I HATE not having my gear! I could win these fights if I did!)

She approaches a much larger street with some rail tracks in the center, and starts running down the street. The people on the sides scatter in fear when they see the Formless Kiman. Bella nearly runs into a person as she goes, and dodges a small sidewalk tree. She jumps over a bench, and hears the engine of a large vehicle approaching. She looks over her shoulder, and sees that, behind her and the Kiman, is a public tram heading her way. She smiles, glad to see these "works of art" as she views them still in operation. She then realizes that she could use this to escape from the enemies here. As the tram begins its pass-by, Bella springs onto its side railing, and clambers over it onto the deck. The Formless Kiman tries to keep up the pursuit, but the tram moves too fast for it, and Bella gets away. She watches the Kiman grow steadily farther away, and sighs. (I'm glad I didn't have to run for an hour again... I don't need THAT much exercise...) she thinks.

She moves to get inside the tram, but finds herself being glared at by the operator. He barks, "Where did YOU come from? Do you have a ticket?"

Bella flinches, giving him a fearful look, and stammers, "Erk... N-no... I was just..."

The operator lowers his head slightly, eyes narrowed, and growls, "Then do you have the fare for a ride?"

Bella shakes her head as she replies, "I don't... My stuff was-" "Hold on. You're a Trouble Witch!" the operator yelps, ready to lash or or something.

"NO I'M NOT! NOT ANYMORE!" Bella screams at the top of her lungs, shaking her head angrily, fists trembling.

Some passengers gasp, others begin to murmur. The operator is completely stunned, and lets out a soft exhale, unable to say anything after such an intense outburst. Then, he notices that Bella is very disheveled. After taking a quick glance at all of the damage, and the now patchy transparency of her top, he remarks, "...Well you're clearly in trouble yourself, at any rate."

Bella pleads, "Please... I need to head west... Is this tram heading west?" and looks around.

The operator goes calm, feeling a little pity for her, and replies with a slight nod, "It is. This is the evening commute tram. I take people to their neighborhoods near the Western Station after their workdays." He falls silent, and after a moment of hesitation, plus taking a breath of resolve, he adds, "I will allow you to ride to the next stop."

Bella's eyes go soft as she gives him an extremely tired and grateful look. "Thank you... Thank you very much..." she responds.

The operator thumbs back to the passenger cabin and says, "Now sit down before you fall over or something."

Bella nods, and moves in to take an empty seat in the tram. By now, her top has nearly dried up, and is no longer transparent. But the people are still staring at her, quite familiar with her. She notices this, and sighs. She gazes out the window for a few minutes. As she finally gets a chance to take a real rest, she watches the buildings, people and other scenery go by. The speed the tram is traveling at reminds her of the sensation she gets when she flies on her wrench. It conjures up memories, and makes her pine for the ability to fly again. Her thoughts wander, (I hate being grounded... I wonder... I lost all my stuff when I fell into that tunnel... I wonder if the same thing happened to Zan and the others? I wonder if they've been captured by the invaders? Surely Zan could fight them off... Teresa's probably hiding and sneaking around somewhere... Bridgette... I'm not worried about her. And I don't know Kira well enough to know for certain. ...I guess I was wrong to decide to only take five people... If I'd brought a psychic along, she could have communicated between us and brought us all back together again. This shouldn't have happened... I'm sorry, Zan... I really screwed up.) Tears form in the corners of her eyes.

But then, a soft female voice speaks up, along with the feeling of a hand resting on Bella's shoulder, "Excuse me..."

Bella responds, "Eh?", and notices a middle-aged woman standing beside her. Bella wipes the tears away quickly to recover composure, and says, "Yes ma'am?"

The kindly-voiced woman draws back her hand and asks, "Is it true, what you said? You're not a Trouble Witch any longer?"

Bella gently nods, speaking respectfully, "Yes, ma'am. I'm not. I haven't seen my mother or siblings in two years. I joined a team of heroes after the Draupnir incident. I came back to Eihemland when I learned that invaders had appeared here."

Skeptical comments churn from some of the other passengers. But the woman ignores them, as she forms a kindly smile. Her behavior suggests that she seems to know more than meets the eye. She responds, "That is a wonderful thing, Bella. You made the right choice in changing sides. It looks as though you are having problems though."

Bella looks down for the moment, and explains, "I got separated from the team I came here with and those thugs attacked me shortly after. I can sense, though, that one of my friends is west of town, and I'm heading there to find him." She looks back up at the woman, with determination deep in her eyes.

The woman slowly nods, resting a hand on Bella's shoulder again, and replies, "I wish you success." She leans in slightly, and quietly adds, "Please liberate us."

Bella nods, and equally quietly acknowledges, "I will, I promise."

The woman moves to her seat without another word. Bella watches her go, then slowly turns to look outside again, as she resolves, (That's right. I can't give up. I can't blame myself for this. If these invaders have the technology to exploit Interdimensional Static, then they may actually be the ones responsible for screwing up the Interspacial Causeway. I can't give up until I've found everyone, and we can get back to our original mission. This is just a temporary delay. I'm coming, Zan!) Her gaze out of the window turns intense.

She senses the calm touch her again, and feels that it is getting ever so slightly stronger. She is definitely drawing closer to Zan now, and this improves her confidence and determination. She notices as the tram starts crossing a large bridge over a river that is just as large. She recognizes the river. She has now left the major city of Eihemland. Beyond the river are more sub-urban and rural areas. Hopefully, this area will be less heavily patrolled by Kyo clones.

After a few more minutes, she watches as the tram pulls into a major train station where larger trains also enter from time to time. She immediately recognizes this as the station she used to hijack a train once before. She is delighted to see the station again. She thanks the operator of the tram, and exits with the passengers. She walks through the station, taking in all the nostalgic sights. No one seems to be concerned with her here, and she sees no invasive forces in the area. (How I wish I could stay here for a while. But if someone recognizes me, I could cause an uproar. I need to let the word spread more that I'm not an enemy anymore, and help this nation escape the invaders... I'll come back another time...) She sighs, and heads to the exit of the train station. She leaves the area, moving toward the sub-urban communities of the western sector of Eihemland.

As Bella progressively moves farther away from the train station, the quieter the ambiance gets, to the point where it is quite tranquil, with just a few birds calling. She is alone here, walking along the sidewalks out front middle-high class homes, and takes in the peace. It is a good rest from the chaos of the city, and the enemies that were running amok there.

This calm gives her thoughts some rest too, and she thinks, (Finally, some peace. I was sick of running from those thugs. I wonder what realm they came from? Zan would probably know. I don't get those camera robots though. Do they use such a terribly bright flash purposefully to blind people? ...Or is it sort of like a signal? ...That has to be it. Every time one of those camera robots started using their flashes, those thugs or one of those Ki energy beings showed up. I should start attacking those camera robots on sight then.)

She crosses a quiet street, and sees an elderly couple on their porch. The two watch her walk by, but pay her no mind. She continues to meditate on the current situation, (I hope the others are ok. We were separated, and considering I got dumped out of a portal in the sky, the others probably did too, in different places. Teresa's very good at hiding, so she should be ok. I wish I knew for certain though. Zan loves her so much, and after all that stuff that happened in Medea, to have something happen to her now would really hurt him...)

She reaches to touch her hat, only to find that it is gone, and a distressed look overcomes her. She emits an audible whimper, as her thoughts lament, (My kitty... Where are you, my poor little kitty? Please be ok, please be ok!)

She shakes her head, trying to convince herself that everything will come together again, and thinks, (If I can find the others, our unity will put us back on top. I just have to find them!)

As she meditates, she can sense Zan's distant tranquility still. It has not changed position or strength, though it feels weak in general. (I wish I'd picked a psychic... Tanya would have brought us all together again already... ...Unless... that weird interference that is preventing me from calling Palindrome affects psychics as well. ...Come to think of it, Zan should be able to sense us, and warp to our location through his personal causeways... ...Does that mean he's being blocked, or... is he hurt?! Oh, Zan, please be ok!) Her thoughts spin onward.

The pace of her step increases, but she shortly finds herself walking beside a school yard, and it is currently occupied by a number of children. Some men dressed as security guards are also nearby. They've taken notice of Bella. But so have the kids. A street-savvy boy exclaims, "Hey! Is that Bella Chimes?!"

His dopey friend replies as though finishing a sentence, "It so totally is!"

The two guards are growing steadily more alarmed, especially as the children get rowdy. One guard mutters, "...We better do something."

The other pokes his hat with a baton in curiosity as he says, "Why would the Gear Witch come here? ...And she looks like a mess."

The first guard narrows his eyes. "I don't know, and honestly, I don't care," is his growling response.

The guards begin to approach Bella, and she notices. She keeps walking, but keeps her eyes on them. However, the kids in the school yard have all begun to clamor over seeing Bella, who is well known for her misdeeds of the past. Some of the kids are delighted, others have evidently been instructed by their parents to keep their distance. A couple of boys, however, move closer to get a better look. They are armed with water balloons, and are clearly early-stage punks. One brat blurts, "Bella Chimes! Hey! Over here!"

His mini-underling buddy remarks, "She's hot!"

Bella smirks. (Boys... Wait... What are they doing?) She notices their threatening body language.

The first one replies, "She sure is. Maybe THESE will cool her down!"

The boys chuck their water balloons at Bella. She shrieks as they smash into her in big watery blasts. Her top, which had nearly completely died off, gets reset to the soaked condition, and her breasts once again become visible. This causes the boys to develop luminescent blushes. The second kid, completely stunned and wide-eyed, mumbles, "...I can see her chest..."

His friend is awestruck, and utters, "Marvelous..."

The more aggressive, dark-natured guard shouts, "Hey you!" as he draws near, baton at the ready. The guards move close, getting between Bella and the children.

"I'm not a Trouble Witch!" Bella shouts as quickly as she can.

The less aggressive guard, who seems a bit more reasonable than his militaristic partner, flinches, and slowly replies, "...Quick to say that."

Bella folds her arms, not bothering to cover the transparency of her top, since the guards are not even reacting to the sight. "People have been avoiding me since I got here. I know the deal," she says, trying to control her irritation.

The stern guard gestures with his baton as he warns, "Then you know that we'd appreciate it if you'd leave."

Bella nods, and says, "I was just passing by. Have either of you seen any other foreigners today?"

The second guard's eyes drift to Bella's visible chest, but continue to drift and take note of the damage she's sustained. He replies, "Aside from you, and the thugs that showed up a while ago, no."

Before he can say anything else, Bella, eager to get away from them, states, "Then I'll leave," and moves away from the school quickly, wiping water and picking balloon bits off of herself.

The guards hold their ground until they are convinced that Bella has indeed left the area. She moves onward, and looks down at herself. (Soaked again... Everyone can see my breasts. I might as well take this stupid top off completely,) she snarkily thinks.

She sighs, and keeps moving. A breeze blows through, the trees whispering with the wind, and Bella begins to calm down again. She resumes meditating on the situation as she nears a four-way neighborhood crossing, (If I have to fight those Kyo clone thugs again, I need to figure out a way to deal with them without my gear. I can't keep running from them if I encounter them again. This is so humiliating. I should be better than this. Once I get home from this mission, I'm going to start refining my AuraKinetics. Everyone should be able to fight without her gear. I just feel so vulnerable without my Contour Barrier...)

She draws closer to the crossing, and begins to hear familiar voices. She freezes, listens, and recognizes them as the voices of Kyo clones. She promptly ducks behind a hedge in a person's yard, creeps along, and sees movement beyond. When she peers closer, she can see an entire gang of Kyo clones. Possibly a dozen of them. Her heart begins to beat faster, and she becomes tense. She spots a large apple tree nearby, and dashes over to it. She scrambles up the tree much the way a cat would, and lays on a large, sturdy branch. She also notices that the tree has large apples in it, and while they look appealing, she knows it would be theft, so she ignores them. She watches the Kyo clones, clustered in the middle of the crossing.

The Kyo clones, every one of them alike in appearance and nature, converses. Number six asks, "What's the word?" Number nine replies, "Nada," with a shake of his head. Number five mutters, "Friggen irritating..." Number one, evidently the "leader", of this squad, snarls, "Shut up. We've already had some of our brothers get beat up. That is all the more reason to catch these kooks."

Bella looks a little surprised. She thinks, (Some of them have been beat up? Heh, probably Zan and, or Bridgette.)

The Kyo clones continue, with number ten asking, "The boss said they got stripped of their gear. How can they still fight?" Number two answers, "Same way we can." He ignites his fist, and displays the flame, as he finishes, "They have Elemental Kinetic Powers." Number three repeats himself, "Friggen irritating." Number one states, "We've lost contact with the guys sent to Magorok to apprehend the little swimsuit girl. The last report said she'd teamed up with one of the local witches. They apparently demolished the droids that went too."

Bella tilts her head slightly in curiosity. (Kira defeated their robots? Doesn't surprise me. She's a mean little thing, but she's clearly just as tough... But... wait... she teamed up with someone? I wonder which witch came to her aid?)

The Kyo clones continue, with number four reporting, "The last we heard from the guys and droids who went to the southwestern coastal plains to capture the pigtailed girl, they reported never finding her, despite the wide-open space she ended up in. They said they caught some glimpses of her, but weren't actually able to find her." The Kyo clones groan in aggravation. Bella nods, smiling to herself, aware of how good Teresa is at sneaking. Kyo clone three once again repeats, "Friggen irritating!" Having had it up to here, number five snarks, "What are you, a broken record?" Number one comments with a hint of annoyance, "For a bunch of little girls, they are a lot tougher than the boss expected. No one has reported back on the search for the pink elf. And the Light Slasher girl eluded our guys in the city."

Bella gets a little cat grin at what she heard, and thinks, (So they've nicknamed me "Light Slasher" huh? I'm going to have to tell Zan and Teresa about that. I'm sure they'd get a kick out of it.)

"What about the cyborg man?" the twelfth clone inquires.

Bella goes on high alert. As she has been listening, she has been able to feel Zan's aura. It feels even closer now, since the time she left the train station. It isn't moving, but she's definitely getting closer. At this point, she's close enough that she can get a solid fix on which direction it is specifically. Still to the west, Bella can sense that if she takes the western road of the crossing, she'll draw that much closer to him.

The Kyo clones maintain their deliberations, with number one speaking up, "Byzantian Fandango. He's their leader. And that's the problem we've got to solve. When he was spotted, he was acting as though he was badly injured, though he had no visible wounds, and he wasn't burned, so none of our guys got to him." Bella's eyes quiver slightly in fear. Number one continues, "However, the problem is, he has slipped into hiding somewhere on the Dreitlincke Farm."

A bunch of the Kyo clones tilt their heads back and let out extremely exasperated groans. Number three complains, "He WOULD choose a hiding spot in one of the toughest sites of resistance to our boss's forces!" Number five snarks, "Hey, you managed to say something else." The third Kyo clone promptly punches the fifth one, and the two start attacking each other, shocking, annoying, or amusing the other ten. Number one hollers, "Will you two GET IT TOGETHER?!"

They stop. Bella narrows an eye. (These guys are total losers. They're not even cooperating with each other! No wonder they can't capture us,) she muses, finding them to be quite a bit less fearsome to her now.

The Kyo clones look agitated, and seem to be preparing to move out. Especially when number four reports, "I have heard that some of the boss's more advanced drones have been dispatched to the farm to try and either capture or kill Fandango." Bella grits her teeth in alarm. The Kyo clone adds, "So we should move in behind them and support them in case those crazy farmers try to stop us." Number one replies, "Agreed."

Bella becomes extremely alarmed now, eyes wide and teeth gritted. Her thoughts race, (No! I can't let them find Zan! If he's injured, I need to get to him first! ...I gotta distract those thugs. ... ... ... Mm-hmm...) She clearly has an idea.

Concentrating her Light Kinetics, Bella focuses on a section of the neighborhood to the east, in the opposite direction of where she senses Zan's aura. The area that way opens into a large construction yard where there are only a few workers remaining active. She focuses her power on a single spot quite a distance away, but within visible range of both herself, up in the tree, and the Kyo clones down on the street. She proceeds to conduct a burst of Light in that distant area, a burst identical to the flashes used by the Camera Drones. She does it once, then again. The Kyo clones immediately notice, and number five exclaims, "Hey! Did you see that?!"

Number nine blurts, "I did! A Camera Drone!" Number one quickly remarks, "The Light Slasher girl HAS been reported to have escaped the city by tram! She must be in this neighborhood!" Number twelve barks, "Go go go!" Shouting excitedly, the Kyo clones rush off to the east, opposite the direction Bella intends to go. Her mouth transforms into a wide, toothy grin.

(Idiots. Mweeheehee...) she thinks pseudo-evilly. She jumps down out of the tree, her visible breasts within her top jolting from the landing, and she stands up triumphantly, sticking her chest out to look mighty and sexy. (I'm coming, Zan!) she resolves. She takes off running down the western road of the crossing.

Evening has begun to approach, and the lowering sun is readily visible in the flatlands region to the west-southwest of Eihemland City. After leaving the sub-urban communities, Bella spends an hour jogging along a country road. Her clothing dries up again along the way, under the clear, sunny sky. The peace of this area is remarkable compared to the city itself, and while Bella finds it to be enjoyable, she's a city girl at heart, and prefers to at least have the company of others with her. Because of this, she has been trying to get to the farm where the Kyo clones reported having seen Zan as quickly as possible. (Would have been nice to have just ridden through this area on a Ghost or something... I'm going to be twice as fit by the time this mission is over,) she thinks.

She comes to a bend in the road at the edge of a short cliff, and stops at the cliff's edge. Down the hill, she spots a simply massive farm. Dreitlincke Farm is no mud-caked pigfarm. It is clearly a major source of food for Eihemland itself. The territory of the farm spreads far and wide. From the hill, Bella can see that there is a large, luxuriant farmhouse, multi-acre fields of corn, wheat and cotton, two massive barns, half a dozen silos, and farther beyond, between the food-production fields and the ocean in the greater distance, is a field of large windmills. A literal wind farm. Bella gazes upon the sight in amazement, and thinks, (I don't remember THIS being here. Maybe this farm was built after I left for the Amethytus Estate? Either way, it's HUGE. ...Zan... He's here...)

She focuses on Zan's Tranquility Aura, and can sense that it is very close now. She focuses deeper, while gazing at the farm, and can detect that it is in the direction of what looks like a smaller field of specialty crops. She hops off the short cliff, and scampers down the hill toward the farm. After a few more minutes of jogging, and after having entered the farm's territory, she keeps her mind focused on Zan's aura as it leads her closer to her destination.

As she draws closer to the specialty crop field, Bella is unaware that she is being observed. A pair of binoculars glint from a window, and track her as she moves through the field...

She enters the specialty crop field, and looks around. This field is large, but not as vast as the ones for Corn, Wheat and Cotton, which she could see from the hill, compared to this small field, which she didn't notice right away. As she searches, she takes note of the various vegetable gardens, a couple of garden tool storage bins, a large metal tub filled with rain water, a parked, high-tech-looking tractor, and so on. The area is clearly in the middle of cultivation, but, possibly due to the invasion, is not being tended to as regularly as normal. She ends up finding herself entering a large pumpkin patch.

She peers around at everything, but can't see anything beyond farm tools. She thinks, (Zan's here... ...But it feels like... he's not on the surface.) She looks around still more, and carefully calls out, "Zan? Are you here?"

She does not see him, but his aura is extremely close now. She does, however, notice the surface-level access to a storage cellar in the back of the pumpkin patch. She stares at it for a moment, and her eyes slowly widen, as she realizes, (Underground... He must be in a storage cellar BELOW this field!)

She moves to the entrance of the cellar, and finds that the door is already ajar. She opens it, peeks inside, and finds a set of steps that descend a short distance, turn, and continue down in the opposite direction. She narrows her eyes, sensing Zan within, and steels herself. She descends into the cellar, and the door slowly closes itself partially behind her. The eyes observing her through the binoculars narrow...

~Waypoint 10: Inexplicable Interference~

As soon as Bella enters the stairwell, and begins her descent into the cellar, she starts hearing the sounds of weapons fire from deeper within. Alarm comes over her face, and she begins moving more cautiously, staying close to a wall. When she turns around the bend in the stairs, the sounds grow stronger, and become discernible as energy type weapons. The cellar is dimly lit, and several of the light orbs on the ceiling are crackling with loose energy, the orbs themselves severely damaged or outright destroyed, suggesting a fight. Blast marks, damaged produce and destroyed shelving and crates reveals that the fighting has been raging since the front of the cellar. Bella becomes fearful, but determined, as she can feel Zan directly ahead. She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath, as she raises her valor. She marches forward toward the fighting sounds. Flashes of light become visible within the cellar's gloom ahead. The sounds of the weapons fire becomes more familiar as she gets closer.

Suddenly, a blue bolt of energy flies out of the darkness and strikes Bella square in the chest. She jumps in fright, but then notices that the shot did not harm her. It didn't even leave a mark. She stares down at herself, and realizes, (...Friendly fire...) She immediately looks up and ahead, shouting, "ZAN!"

Bella rushes forward, and comes within visible range of the situation at hand. Floating in the air between her and Zan, are a cluster of one dozen large airborne droids. Armed with energy blasters, these droids, identified as Shield Drones, also wield energy shields that float in front of them, blocking Zan's attacks. Zan, himself, is in the very back end of the cellar. He has barricaded himself behind a bunch of badly damaged crates and pallets, and is armed with a long-barreled silver Pulse Rifle, a weapon that swiftly fires shots of light blue raw Energy. Out of all the weapons in the Estate Armory, it is his favorite. Bella does not notice right away, but the miniature probes that were repairing the severe damage to his head are still darting about, working on repairs. His cybernetic eye is working now, but bears the Exhaustion Icon, and the look in his flesh eye suggests as much. His aim is wavering, and it is clear that he is still suffering from his head-first crashlanding. He spots Bella behind the droids, and his eyes widen. He shouts, "Bell... Bella!" "Zan! I'm here!" Bella shouts back, approaching quickly yet cautiously.

Of course, the droids immediately notice Bella too, and find themselves surrounded. Half of the droids respond to this by rotating their energy shields to face Bella, while the other half keep them facing Zan, resulting in a checkerboard formation. Zan watches them do this, feeling very weak, and warns, "Their shields... block projectiles..."

Bella stops approaching when she sees the droids take on their defensive formation, and replies, "They've turned some toward me! I'll attack the ones that haven't!"

Zan nods, and focuses as hard as he can to aim his rifle. He fires a shot, but it hits a shield instead, and the Shield Drones facing him continue to fire their spurting energy shots. Zan ducks behind the crates to avoid being pelted. Bella thrusts a hand to fire her own claw-shaped bolts of light at the cluster of droids, striking those with their back turned. They jolt from the impact, and those facing her return fire immediately with a series of shots. Bella yelps, throws up a Light Screen to block the shots, and jumps behind a metal box when they keep pelting her barrier. Zan peers around, and fires a couple of shots, successfully striking one of the droids facing Bella. It bursts, and drops to the ground, exploding into bits. The other droids close in to fill the gap, and continue to return fire on Zan and Bella. She concentrates, and launches a Cat Bullet. It glides through the air, spewing recursive shots at the Shield Drones indiscriminately. Some shots are blocked by the droids whose shields face Bella, but the shots damage droids whose shields face Zan. One of the droids malfunctions from the hits and flies off against a wall, dropping to the floor and twitching. The others that are damaged jolt. Finally, the paw-shaped shot hits a droid's back, and bursts, obliterating the droid and scattering its parts forward. Zan ducks behind the barricade again to avoid more shots and the shrapnel from the droid that Bella destroyed. The Shield Drones fill in the gaps, and begin to rotate their shields around continually to make being shot more difficult. This surprises Zan, who observes their continually rotating shields. "They're learning... Bella!" he exclaims. "I see it!" Bella replies with a nod, taking note of the change of enemy tactics.

The Shield Drones continue to fire at the two, and Zan and Bella return fire. Zan manages to shoot another droid, but his shots only graze its sides, his extreme fatigue fouling his aim significantly, and it returns fire, striking Zan's shoulder. He yelps, and his repair probes start working on that spot as well. He returns fire angrily, and manages to strike another droid directly, destroying it. Bella keeps attacking as well, flinging claw-shaped shots, to damage the droids. One of them cannot take any more hits, and drops to the ground, exploding when it lands. The cluster of droids continues to shrink when Zan manages to nail the hovering unit of one of the Shield Drones facing Bella. It darts sideways and slams into one of the other droids, and the two crash to the ground and burst. Bella launches another Cat Bullet, and it damages most of the droids, before striking the shield of one of the more attentive ones. It overloads the shield, which produces a cascade failure in the already damaged droid. It explodes, staggering the four remaining droids and throwing off their aim.

Seeing that there are only a few droids left, Bella runs out at them, jumps over a shot, and swipes her hands downward mid-jump, creating large downward slashes of Light that force the upper two droids to slam into the lower two droids. They form a pile on the ground, and Bella swipes her hands wildly with some shrieking, slashing the droids and damaging them beyond repair. They finally explode in one mass blast, that finishes off the remaining Shield Drones. Bella stands there, panting, watching the remains of the droids spark for a few moments. When she hears Zan sigh and slump down, she yelps. She scampers around the droid wreckages, and comes around the barricade to Zan, finding him sitting with his back against it, his Pulse Rifle on his lap.

She promptly drops to her knees beside him and grips him. "Zan! I finally found you! I was so worried!" she cries, trembling.

Zan gives her a soft look, the Exhaustion Icon pervading in his cybernetic eye. "Bella... It's good to see you're ok," he replies, his voice drained of energy.

She takes note of, and watches, the miniature probes firing their repair beams. "Your head... What happened?" she whispers, looking at the areas of his head where the probes seem most focused.

Zan emits a weak chuckle, and replies, "I fell on it... Landed dead center on a rock. Couldn't have pulled that off if I'd tried to."

Bella gasps in distress, then clings to Zan and exclaims, "That's horrible!" She also notices other injuries all throughout his body, and adds, "You're a mess!" She frets over them.

Zan, for his part, notices the cut on her leg, her disheveled hair, and the big welt on her face. He smiles sadly, and replies, "Heh, I could say the same about you..." He gently touches Bella's face, and she winces. The Sadness Icon forms in his cybernetic eye, though dull due to exhaustion. "I'm sorry... I need to heal that, but... My Cybranites are fully occupied with myself right now..." he says apologetically.

Bella gives him a miserable look as she replies, "It's ok Zan." She pulls back, and holds her hands over an injury to his arm. "Let me help... I can't do much, but Light has natural healing properties, right?" she says, and starts generating Light energy, which slowly heals the injury.

Zan places a hand atop Bella's, and gently says, "Save your strength, please..." He rests the other hand on her shoulder, and reassures her, "My Cybranites will get the job done." He forces the Compassion Icon to appear in his cybernetic eye.

She maintains her miserable look, whispers, "Zan..." stops healing him, and just clings to him. She whimpers, "This is just-" but notices the big hole in the center of Zan's hand. Her eyes widen immediately, and she lets out, "EEK!"

He flinches, reacting, "Eh?" then notices what she saw, and calms slightly. "Oh... It's ok, Bella..." he responds.

She shrieks, "Zan, what is this?!" as she grabs his crystalline black metal hand and looks at the gaping hole in the center in horror.

He states rather simply, "The slot for my Plasma Cell."

She blinks, looks at him, then at the hole in his hand. "...Those things are removable?" she quietly replies, calming a little.

Zan forms a weak look of amusement, and faux-snarks, "How do you think I got them in there? Look, my feet are the same." He pulls a leg up, and Bella looks, finding a large hole in the center of his crystalline black metal foot. She examines these holes, both in his hands and feet, and becomes fascinated for a moment.

"This is so strange... ...Did you need those cells for your Plasma powers?" she asks, looking up at his face again.

He grimaces, and slowly shakes his head as he answers, "I'm afraid so. My natural Plasma powers are only latent, and those cells serve as amplifiers. Without them, I'm effectively disarmed. I can still punch and kick really well, and I'm normally just as agile, but I can't use most of my Plasma element skills. ...And I'm so dizzy... I can barely keep my focus. I've been under attack since I was able to move again, and haven't had a chance to rest..."

She looks at Zan's face sadly, and rests a hand on the flesh half. She speaks quietly, "You fell on your head, and now you're dizzy... Do you think it's a concussion?"

"Yes..." he responds with a slow nod. The Cybranites dart about, trying to avoid getting between their faces.

Bella watches the miniature probes do their work. "Can your Cybranites fix that?" she carefully asks.

"Yeah, but it'll take time..." he replies, his cybernetic eye returning to the Exhaustion Icon.

Bella gives Zan a miserable look, and stares at the hole in his hand again. He takes note of this, and comments, "I lost all of my stuff when I fell into that portal... It even managed to yank out my Plasma Cells. I lost my neotech tie too, but I had just enough energy in my system to materialize a Pulse Rifle..."

Bella checks out the Pulse Rifle, and picks it up, finding it mildly heavy. She forms a faint smile, and remarks, "Your favorite gun... Of course you'd make one of these."

He gives it a fond look, and says, "I haven't used a Pulse Rifle in forever. I'm so dizzy though, I should probably have made a melee weapon or something..."

She sets the Pulse Rifle down, becoming upset again, and whispers, "I lost all of my stuff too... My wrench, my Contour Barrier, my tool pouches, my... tie..." She narrows an eye at the odd realization.

He forms a similarly perplexed look. "What is up with that?" he mumbles.

She shakes her head, growing distressed once again, and responds, "I have no idea. But I practically feel helpless without my gear, and I'm so worried about my kitty... Where IS our stuff, Zan?"

He gently touches Bella's arm, and she moves close to try and calm down. He rests his hands on Bella, as he speaks, "I don't know... I have a theory, but... Something's seriously wrong in Eihemland, that's for sure. My scanners were damaged from my fall, but they should be working now. Yet, they aren't, beyond my immediate surroundings. And I can't even start to use my Subdimensional Jumping. From what I can tell, there's some kind of massive jamming frequency hanging above us in the entire realm..."

She looks away, and mutters, "I was chased around by foreign thugs, harassed by droids that take pictures with really bright flashes, and shot at by floating human-shaped beings of Ki energy..."

"And now those floating shielded droids... We seem to be dealing with some kind of faction that has already taken advantage of Interdimensional Static before now to acquire their own technologies... Did the thugs say who they were?" he asks, looking down at Bella's face.

She narrows her eyes, and replies, "'The clones of Kyo'."

The Alarm Icon immediately takes form in his cybernetic eye. "'Kyo'? As in 'Kyo Kusanagi'?" he asks with concern.

She looks at him, curious about the tone of his voice, and says, "Just Kyo... Why, do you know them?"

"Possibly... ...I won't know for certain until I see them personally, but... I might have an idea now..." he mumbles, looking away, the icon fading from his eye.

Bella remembers something, and it makes her feel distressed still more. She speaks up, "Zan, this jamming signal... Do you think it can block contact with summons? I tried to contact Palindrome, but couldn't even sense him."

He immediately forms another grimace, and responds, "Yes... I tried to contact the Estate for reinforcements, but couldn't. It was as if I'd been cut off completely from reaching through to them. Apparently this jamming signal blocks all non-native transmissions, and since summoning involves transmitting, it would make sense. To make this worse, I can't sense the presence of anyone else who came with us. I'm worried about them... These invaders seem to have the upper hand more than I would have expected. The way the causeway crashed... It was as if... it happened by design."

She tries to maintain her composure and sound confident as she replies, "I'm not worried about anyone, really. Those Kyo clone thugs are ridiculously disorganized, and our friends can take care of themselves. We would have been fine if we hadn't lost our gear... ...My kitty... My poor little kitty's gone..." She fails to keep control, and tears form in the corners of her eyes.

Zan rests a hand on Bella's head, and she pulls herself into his chest. He whispers tenderly, "It'll be ok... We'll find our stuff... Let me rest just a little, and get my stamina back. I've finally got a break from having to defend myself, so I can expend all of my energy on repairs..."

"Ok, Zan..." she quietly responds. She moves to sit beside him, and wipes the tears away.

The two sit behind the barricade for a little while, and Bella watches as the Cybranites repair Zan's head. The way they dart around almost becomes hypnotic for her. Zan closes his eyes as he rests. After a couple of minutes, Bella thinks of something. "I don't suppose you've seen any of the other witches from this realm, have you?" she asks.

He keeps his eyes closed to allow them rest, and replies with a tint of disappointment, "No, I'm afraid not... It would have been nice to have run into one of them, but they all seem to be elsewhere..."

She continues to watch the Cybranites, and comments, "I heard that Kira has teamed up with one."

Zan looks at Bella, clearly interested. "Really? Did you find out who?" he asks.

She looks directly at him now, and says, "No. I overheard the Kyo clones talking about it. They didn't give any details. But we have as many friends in this realm as we do enemies, it seems. I just wish the townspeople weren't so afraid of me..." She looks away with discouragement.

The Compassion Icon forms in his cybernetic eye again, and he responds, "Trouble Witch troubles, eh?"

She nods, looking quite discouraged, but the look changes as she speaks, "Yeah... Most of them were all like, 'Get outta here, Trouble Witch!' I quickly got into the habit of telling them I wasn't, and I think I may have started rumors that way. ..." She sort of trails off, wondering.

He puts an arm around her, and she looks at him. Seeing his compassionate gaze eases her discouragement. He assuages her, "It'll be ok. The people will learn eventually that you're not a troublemaker anymore."

She forms a soft smile, and leans against him. "I know... But some of them acted almost as if this takeover by these invaders was my fault. Even when I was being chased by those thugs, the people acted almost as if they were appreciative of my being attacked," she comments, the very idea clearly bothering her.

Zan finds this to be absurd, however, and gently responds, "Now I seriously doubt that. Don't let thoughts like that destroy your morale, sweetheart..."

Bella's emotions are in a tumult, and she shakes her head angrily as she complains, "This is so stupid! I came here to SAVE this realm from invaders, and... and I couldn't even keep the party together during the trip here! I thought I had what it takes to be a good leader!" She sniffles.

He gently touches her face, then kisses her forehead, causing a slight blush to form on her cheeks. He speaks in a loving tone, "Now Bella, hang on a minute. It wouldn't have been very remarkable of you if we had just come into the realm, walked all over the enemies, fixed the problem, and gone home, now would it? There would have been no challenge in that. Challenges are great ways of proving your worth as a leader. And this is one heck of a challenge. If you successfully lead us through this situation, then that will really prove what leadership skills you have. Do you understand?"

Bella gives Zan a loving gaze, and replies, "I do, Zan... Thank you. I will prove that I have the skills to get us through this! I promise!"

He smiles, maintaining the Compassion Icon, and acknowledges, "I believe you will."

She leans against Zan and sighs. They rest for a few more minutes, and Bella, quite tired from all of the running and fighting, nearly falls asleep in the tranquil aura of his warmth. But after a point, he twitches slightly, bringing her back to awareness, and she looks at him. His eyes are out of focus in that distinct manner they get when he's checking into himself. Finally, he speaks, "...We should get going. I've just reached an acceptable level of repair. We shouldn't wait for too long. We need to find the others. Preferably before sunset..."

Bella touches his head, and asks, "What about your concussion?"

Zan replies, "I'll be fine, as long as I don't take any more nosedives or get cracked across the head," and gives her an affirmative look.

She looks pensive, but says, "...Ok, Zan. If you're certain. You should know something though. The way I found you. I could feel you, Zan. Your Tranquility Aura. Even from miles away in the downtown region of Eihemland City, I could sense your aura if I focused on it. That calm you radiate. That calm that I love so much..." She forms a loving expression again.

He smiles, and comments, "You've been with me for two years Bella," then flinches, and goes quiet for a moment, looking off to the side. Before she can inquire, he resumes, "...So it should be only natural that you've become attuned to my aura. That pleases me very much though, that you've become so keen at sensing it. Bridgette will most certainly be able to sense it. Not sure about Kira, but Teresa..." he trails off, his thoughts becoming sidetracked.

She notices this, well aware of his feelings regarding Teresa, and softly replies, "...Yeah, there's something weird about that girl."

He slowly shakes his head as though in wonder, and remarks, "Never before have I found someone so... receptive, to my aura." His tone slowly shifts toward distress however, the Worry Icon taking over his cybernetic eye. "Teresa... My little Tarbaby... Please be ok..." he frets in a tone much akin to Bella's own when she frets over her cat-hat.

In reaction, she grips his shoulder for a second, says, "I'm sure she is, Zan. Let's go," and gives him a determined look, not wanting him to dwell on bad thoughts either.

She stands up and takes his hand. He stands up easily. The fatigued look in his eye has cleared up somewhat, and while he is definitely not finished with getting his strength back, he is in far better shape than he was before. He gives her an appreciative look, and he, ever so slightly teasingly, speaks, "Lead me, Bella Chimes."

She grins, and points to the entrance of the cellar. "Let's get out of this messy cellar," she replies.

He looks around at the mess that the fighting ended up making, forms a grimace, and comments, "I hope the farmers who own this place won't be mad at me. Those Shield Drones were relentless, and I couldn't focus very well..." The Cybranites continue their repair tasks.

As they begin to return through the cellar, the two notice the whirring and twitching of a still operable, yet disabled Shield Drone on the floor against a wall. Bella readies to shoot it, but Zan puts a hand on her shoulder. "Wait, it's disabled. ...Actually, I might be able to use that..." he muses.

Bella narrows an eye, eases up, and inquires, "How?"

Zan goes over to the droid, kneels down, and picks it up. It struggles weakly, its weapons and propulsion systems unable to function. Zan's cybernetic eye shifts into Scan Mode, and he reaches into the droid's memory banks. It has very limited data, due to the severe damage, and he is unable to learn of its origin point or orders. He does, however, find recent scan and communication data, expanding his knowledge of the immediate area. Then he suddenly flinches. He finds a log of communication with another team of droids near the farm, who reported that "the pigtailed girl" is near the area. He says, "Teresa... Teresa's nearby! Crap!" He quickly becomes fretful, like a father whose daughter is missing, and exclaims, "There are droids hunting her! I need to get to her! Not being able to sense her is driving me nuts! We need to find her, Bella!" He looks at Bella with fear and the Worry Icon.

She softly replies, echoing his own commonly-used phrase, "Calm down, Zan..."

Noticing this, he shakily barks in a manner imitating one of his distressed girls, "I AM CALM." But this puts too much stress on his head, and he twinges very painfully. "Ow..." he groans afterward, gripping the flesh half of his head.

Bella puts her arms akimbo, pleased by the fact that even in this situation, he tries to maintain his sense of humor. "...Uh-huh. She'll be fine, Zan. She's good at sneaking you know. And since she uses tar, she can probably just gum up the droids to protect herself," she comments, sincerely.

He IS still truly fretful, however, and mutters, "Except for the fact that without her scepter, her Sludge element skills are just as latent. She needs that thing just as much as I need my Plasma Cells."

Bella tilts her head just slightly. "Well, that's true I guess, but I remember overhearing those Kyo clones say that their forces couldn't even FIND her, much less attack her. If she's in this area, she should be safe. One other thing they said, was that the farmers here are, somehow, providing 'tough resistance' against them. They seemed very unwilling to come here, so if she's here somewhere, she's out of danger," she says, putting as much effort into reassuring him as he did for her earlier.

Nevertheless, Zan frets still. His thoughts drift into a dark zone, his head twinges again a little, and he says, "Yes, maybe... But Teresa... She's barely been with us for any length of time and she's already getting in constant danger... Why is this happening?" He closes his eyes, trying to calm down.

Bella's demeanor toughens a little. She replies, "Some people just seem danger prone I guess. It's our job to help her get strong enough to deal with it. When we get back, I plan to do some gearless training, since I've been having a hard time too... So I'll help Teresa as well. We witches have to stick together afterall!" She forms a snagglefanged smirk.

He opens his eyes to look at her in amusement. Then he turns his focus back to the still struggling droid in his hold. He muses out loud, "Witches... Funny how you keep using that title even though you know what 'magic' really is now..."

Bella shrugs. Zan finds the droid's power core, and rips it out, effectively killing the droid. Bella flinches, and a look of distress forms on her face as she reacts, "Aww..."

He looks at her, noticing her disturbance, and comments, "These things are not animals. If I had repaired it, or allowed it to be repaired, it would have just turned on us immediately. And it was too badly damaged to be reprogrammed. But this..." He holds up the light blue power cell, and finishes, "This will be very helpful."

Zan proceeds to absorb the power cell, converting it into energy to draw into his body. All of his cybernetics take on a slightly stronger glow, and a bunch of additional Cybranites swarm from his cybernetic ear and accelerate his self-repair operations. The sight of this pleases both Zan and Bella, and he looks around at the smoldering and sparking wreckages of the other droids. He speaks, "In fact... If I Reclaim all of these things, they might provide enough Mass and Energy to make YOU a weapon, Bella."

Her eyes widen just slightly, as she becomes just slightly excited. "...Can you make my wrench?" she asks slightly excitedly.

He gives her a flat look, and replies, "No, of course not. That's a unique item. But I could make you a gun or a blade or something." He starts thinking of what could be made.

Her eyes widen more, as she comes more excited. "That would be nice to have," she replies more excitedly.

Zan points his fingers at the wrecks of the droids scattered about the cellar area, and slowly, but steadily, the many metal carcasses within the area dissolve into red particles, which flow into his fingertips. The wrecks slowly fade away as they dissolve, being converted into raw resources that are stored within Zan's cybernetics. Within just a few minutes, the entire cellar area has been cleaned up of the wrecks, no trace of them left, but for blast marks, and the damaged materials that were originally in the cellar. Upon finishing, he looks at Bella, and inquires, "What do you want? Ranged, Melee? Physical? Energy? Please hurry."

She thinks for a minute, then answers, "A gun. Preferably energy type."

Zan nods as he acknowledges, "I'll make something that is other than Light, so that you aren't completely restricted."

He holds his hands palm up, fingers pointing up, and a wireframe of a rifle-sized gun of some sort appears. He hurriedly fires the beams into the wireframe, and it quickly solidifies into another long-barreled, advanced technology weapon. Bella smiles on seeing it, recognizing it right away.

Her eyes widen quite a bit, as she becomes quite excited. "Well THAT'S appropriate! A Compression Phaser Rifle!" she exclaims quite excitedly. She takes it and checks it over for a moment. She then sets its power mode and strikes a dynamic aiming pose with it, quite excitedly.

Zan watches this, quite amused. "That's the biggest weapon I could make with what little resources those wrecks provided," he says as he stands up.

Clearly extremely pleased to have a weapon again, Bella gives him a confident look as she tries to contain her excitement, and calmly replies, "It's more than enough."

Despite her efforts to contain herself, Zan can see the excitement in her eyes and body language. This amuses and pleases him, but he's still worried. "Very good. Let's go, please. Teresa's out there, and I need to get to her..." he solemnly acknowledges.

Bella nods, and the two move onward. They head back to the entrance of the cellar, avoiding the terrible mess that has been made, of fallen boxes, ruined barricades Zan had set up, and other junk and destroyed food items. Once they get to the steps, they climb them. And once they reach the door, Bella slowly opens it, and peeks out. Seeing a clear opening, they carefully emerge from the cellar, and look around further.

The eyes of the binoculars flinch on seeing Bella emerge with Zan, and they carefully observe the two...

Zan takes note of the farm equipment, which he hadn't really noticed before thanks to being barely conscious, and asks, "Where should we go? We need to find Teresa quickly."

Bella starts to become a little frustrated already, and replies, "I wish I knew. I hate not having any communication abilities."

The two yelp when a burst of blue energy strikes the ground right beside them. They look at the source, and see a Formless Kiman descending toward them from above. Zan immediately becomes dismayed, and mutters, "I knew we wouldn't be left alone for long."

Bella growls, not quite as afraid though, and fusses, "I hate those things! They resist my Light element!"

"They're made of Ki energy. Of course they resist Light," Zan remarks, giving her a speculative look.

She returns the look with an annoyed one, and repeats, "I still hate them!" But then she grins, adds, "But now, I have THIS!" and fires a steady beam of pure Energy from the Compression Phaser Rifle, nailing the Kiman in the chest. Zan smirks.

The Formless Kiman jolts hard from the hit, and returns fire by swinging its arms to fling more Ki energy bolts at them. Bella and Zan jump out of the way of the bursting shots, and return fire with shots of their own. Bella's Compression Phaser Rifle projects beams of pure, orange energy, while Zan fires his Pulse Rifle, shooting at the Kiman with the light blue bolts of energy the rifle produces. The Kiman lazily drifts to the side to try to avoid the shots, taking some hits as it goes, with only a few shots missing. Zan's aim is noticeably better than it was when he was exhausted from fighting the Shield Drones. As they exchange fire, the whirring of a Camera Drone joins the noise, and Zan blinks. Bella glowers the moment she hears the now dreaded and familiar sound. The small droid swoops in, and takes a picture, creating the typical blinding flash with its flare. Bella is once again largely unaffected. Zan, however, is half-affected. He winces as he squints his flesh eye, and spots immediately form. But his cybernetic eye is completely unaffected. He exclaims, "Good lord, think that flash is bright enough?!" and jumps out of the way of a shot from the Kiman.

Bella responds, "It seems like everything these invaders HAVE is annoying!" and uses a Light Screen to block some shots from the Formless Kiman.

Zan blinks, however, when he realizes something, and mutters, "Wait a minute..." He runs a quick scan of the Camera Drone, and his eyes go wide. "That's a Combine City Scanner! But... Kyo clones... Formless Kiman... Shield Drones... Yes, these invaders have definitely been to other realms," he comments, turning his attention back to the skirmish.

"Combine?" Bella asks, looking at Zan.

He points hard as he shouts, "No time to explain! Look out!"

Bella yelps, staggering backward as the Camera Drone takes another picture, distracting her long enough for a shot from the Kiman to hit the ground directly in front of her. The blast throws her backward, her rifle flying from her hands, and with a loud splash, she lands in the large water tub. Zan frowns, and fires a flurry of shots at the Kiman to drive it back. Bella sits up in the water, soaked from the tumble, and once again, her top is now completely transparent, her breasts visible through it. The Camera Drone moves close and quickly takes another picture. She promptly crimps the corner of her mouth, and wryly mutters, "Why am I not surprised? Whoever is getting these pictures is in for some eye candy."

Zan fires a Pulse Rifle shot into the back of the Camera Drone the next instant, blasting the little robot to bits. He rushes over and reaches out. Bella reaches, grabs his arm, and he pulls her to her feet in the tub. He notices the transparency of her top, and after a brief observation of her breasts, he exchanges a look with her. She climbs out of the tub, mildly blushing. The Formless Kiman draws closer, and keeps firing shots. The two dodge out of the way, and she snatches up her rifle as she goes.

"Aim for its face!" Zan shouts, with another point of a finger.

Bella aims, and fires a streaming shot. It first grazes the side of the Kiman's head, which seems to frighten it. Bella adjusts, and the beam nails the Kiman's face. It emits an energy noise on par with a scream, and Bella keeps firing until the Compression Phaser Rifle terminates the beam to cool down and recharge. Zan, meanwhile, rapidly fires shots from his Pulse Rifle into the chest of the Kiman. The two combined attacks severely disrupt the enemy's energy balance, and the Kiman explodes in a bright blue flash. Bella forms a big smile, and thrusts a hand up in the air with a jump that makes her breasts bounce, as she cheers, "Ho-hohoho! I finally got rid of that thing!"

Zan looks around warily, sensing that they're being watched, and mumbles, "I doubt that's the only one..."

The eyes in the binoculars are staring wide. They seem shocked to watch Bella and Zan destroy the Formless Kiman...

Voices can be heard in the distance. Familiar voices... And they fill Bella with dread as she exclaims, "Agh! Whenever those Camera Drones show up and use their flares, they draw in other enemies! Kyo clones!"

Zan narrows his eyes, steeling himself, and quietly says, "If I can get a look at them..."

The eyes in the binoculars notice Zan and Bella turn to face a seemingly random direction. They move that way, and see a gang of Kyo clones rushing toward the position of the two. Fury seems to overtake the eyes in the binoculars.

The Kyo clones clamor, "THERE! OVER THERE!"

Zan and Bella aim their weapons as the Kyo clones come busting into the pumpkin patch and stop. They flinch, and one of them yelps, "Crap! It's the Cyberman! AND the Light Slasher!" "And they have guns!" another one adds with urgency.

Zan's mouth slowly falls open as he stares at them. Then a grimace forms, and he growls, "...Sure enough. Clones of Kyo Kusanagi..."

Bella, keeping her rifle and eyes aimed at them, asks, "So who are we dealing with here?"

Zan shakes his head. "Not really the right time to discuss that," he says. He keeps his focus on the Kyo clones, and announces to them, "If you all are going to chase us, at least learn our names! I am Byzantian Fandango, lord of the Amethytus Estate! And this is Bella Chimes, my Chief Aviation Engineer!" Bella grins on hearing him call her that.

A Kyo clone at the front of the gang responds with a shake of a fist, "Look who's talking all high and mighty, mister 'lord'. We're going to burn you to ashes!"

Zan keeps his voice low, as he speaks to Bella, "I'm still rather dizzy... If these guys can get at me, I might not be able to withstand any blows to the head..."

"Well, let's do what I did best when I first met them then," she whispers back. Zan observes.

Bella fires an explosive burst shot from her Compression Phaser Rifle to frighten the Kyo clones, grabs Zan's hand, and takes off running, away from the Kyo clones. Zan jolts slightly as he's yanked into running away, but remarks, "Good idea."

The Kyo clones grit their teeth in that familiar fury that tends to overwhelm them, and they bark, "HEY HEY HEY!" as they give chase.

The eyes in the binoculars follow them for a short time, then turn away, no longer observing...

Zan and Bella race across the pumpkin patch, and charge out of the specialty crop field, into the grand corn field. The stalks are high, and nearly completely obscure vision of them. However, they make enough noise crashing through the field, and glimpses can be caught of them amidst the stalks, that the Kyo clones can keep track of them, with them pursuing angrily. One of them leaps toward the two in a flaming punch, but misses. The flames ignite some of the corn stalks however. Zan looks over his shoulder as he runs, and mutters, "I feel so helpless... I hate running from simple enemies like this."

Bella keeps firm hold of his hand, running with renewed vigor thanks to being in Zan's presence, and gently comments, "We need to protect that concussion of yours first, Zan." She twists slightly to fire a shot from her Compression Phaser Rifle back at the Kyo clones, and they scatter to avoid the shot. She adds, "At least you can run ok." Zan just rolls his eyes.

Bella keeps hold of Zan's hand, and the two continue to flee from the thugs in the corn field. The fire begins to spread, and worsens when one of the Kyo clones flings a Dark Thrust toward the two. Zan detects its approach, and both he and Bella jump to avoid it, letting it pass under them. As they do, they catch a glimpse of a huge droid near the end of the corn field ahead, but lose sight of it when they land back amidst the stalks. Bella yelps, "What the heck was THAT?"

Zan just mutters, "...Trouble..." Bella whimpers, "I don't like that word anymore." Zan slowly shakes his head. "I hear that," he replies.

They continue to flee, and the Kyo clones cannot catch up. The enemies yell furiously at each other, Zan and Bella as they maintain the chase. They are like a pack of ravenous dogs on the hunt, with all the barking they do in their flame-fueled pursuit. Zan and Bella remain calm however, keeping ahead of the thugs. The chase through the corn field nears its end as the two reach its border. The moment they exit the field, they find themselves staring at a massive, airborne droid armed with several energy blasters and a set of frontal energy shields. Bella lets out a frightened yelp, and shouts, "That thing is huge!"

Scanning it as they continue to run toward it, Zan reveals the information he is getting, "...An Enforcer. And its shields are too tough for us to penetrate with these conventional weapons. Watch it!" He points when the big droid attacks.

Zan and Bella leap to the side to avoid a barrage of shots from the Enforcer. The bursts from these shots ignite the edge of the corn field. The massive droid keeps firing at them, and they scramble to avoid the shots. Zan explains, "They aren't terribly quick, to make up for all that power. " He finds himself distracted slightly by the droid's interesting appearance.

Bella shouts, "Let's just circumvent it for now then! Look!" She points, and continues, "It's the wind farm! We might be able to lose them there if we use the windmills as cover!"

Zan and Bella scramble around the Enforcer as it continues to fire its shots, and charge into the wide-open field of tall windmills. The Kyo clones come blasting out of the burning corn field, spot the two, point and yell, then resume the chase. The Enforcer droid glides after them as well, not terribly quick, just as Zan said.

Zan and Bella flee through the field for a minute before Zan's local area scans signal to him the presence of an Amethytus signature. He stops for a moment and looks around. Bella jolts, still gripping his hand, and looks at him. "Zan?"

He is looking around with firm eyes, and mumbles, "Someone's here... Someone..." He finally looks up, and sees who.

At the top of one of the windmills, is Teresa. She is a bit disheveled herself, her pigtails mangled and half undone, and some sections of her clothing are torn. She, too, has lost all of her gear, including the Contour Barrier, her GravBoard, her scepter, and her Bejeweled Varkolyn Skull. She does, however, have an old broom in hand. There are currently a number of smaller attack droids, Scout Drones, swarming around, trying to get a good shot at her. There is also a Camera Drone harassing her. She is swatting the broom at them in a desperate effort to fend them off. Zan's eyes widen, the Alarm Icon taking over his cybernetic eye, and he shouts quite loudly, "TERESA!"

Teresa flinches when she hears him, then sees him way down below. She shrieks, "MASTER!" in response.

Bella is staring, one eye wider than the other, mouth hanging open. "How did she get up there?!" she exclaims.

Zan, staring up at Teresa in fright, replies, "She has a broom... Maybe she-" He gets blasted from behind by a Dark Thrust attack from a Kyo clone and yelps as he's flung forward.

Bella grits her teeth in fear and anger, and turns. She sweeps a beam shot from her Compression Phaser Rifle at the Kyo clones. Half of them dodge, the other half are struck and cry out. Zan scrambles to his feet and puts out the flames on his clothes by reclaiming them for raw energy. He hears Teresa squeal in the distance overhead, and the Alarm Icon's intensity flares in his cybernetic eye. He looks, and sees Teresa now hanging from the edge of the windmill, and the broom she was holding is falling to the ground. The Camera Drone takes a picture of Teresa, its blinding flash causing her to lose her grip, and she starts to fall. She breaks into a scream, and the icon in Zan's eye shifts the next instant to the Terror Icon. He drops his Pulse Rifle and bolts toward the windmill. Bella's eyes widen at the sight. She dashes over and picks up Zan's rifle. She aims both weapons at the Kyo clones, but they are heavy for her when held in one hand. The Kyo clones stop, and sneer as Bella tries to intimidate them with dual-wielding. The Enforcer droid looms over the Kyo clones, and Bella backs away, quite nervous.

"ZAAAN!" Teresa screams as she falls. He stays silent, fierce determination on his face, as he charges toward where Teresa will land, putting divots into the ground with the force of his run. The broom she was using hits the ground and shatters into splinters. Bella fires some shots at the Kyo clones, but they are quite inaccurate due to the weight of the technically two-handed guns. One of the Kyo clones leaps clean over the shots, grabs Bella, and punches her square across her face. She falls over from the hit, dropping both guns, and lands on her rump. She makes that distinctly cat-like wail of pain again. "YOU GUYS ARE SUCH BULLIES, PUNCHING A GIRL LIKE THAT!" she screams, tears forming in her eyes again. The Kyo clones gather in to attack, and the Enforcer looms large over the crowd.

The whirring of a large blade spinning through the air catches everyone's attention. A large double-scythe comes flying in, and strikes the back of the Enforcer droid, inflicting significant damage and making the droid stagger in the air, casting off sparks. The Kyo clones look back, and see five people approaching rapidly. A large, strong man wearing a farm equipment-themed suit of power armor punches one hand into the palm of the other. A younger man who is clearly the son of the older man, wearing a bird-themed helmet and a set of huge mechanical leg units, performs a forward flip with a loud stomp at the end. A busty young woman with a distinct cowgirl motif, and riding on the back of one of two massive cows, whoops and hollers as she twirls a fist as though twirling a lasso. A smaller young woman with a hooded cloak decorated with flowers catches the flying scythe and grins. And a third man who bears a resemblance to the older man, yet is likely near the same age, wearing a large coat, and a hat that shadows his eyes, armed with a pair of frighteningly large revolvers, twirls the guns and aims them at the Kyo clones. A pall is cast over the Kyo clones, and one exclaims in fright, "The Dreitlincke Superfarmers!" "I knew we would be attacked by them..." another mutters in dismay. A third, however, shouts viciously, "They will NOT stop us! ATTACK!"

Bella stares as the Kyo clones change their attention to the five people who have just arrived, and watches in amazement as the fight engages. Zan, rushing to catch Teresa, realizes he won't make it unless he leaps. He flings himself under Teresa, catches her in mid-air, and the two crash down and slide a short distance, nearly striking the base of the windmill. The pain in Zan's head surges, and an arc of energy crosses over his cybernetic eye. Teresa grunts hard, then groans from the rough landing. The two stop moving and just lay there, tears and sweat flowing on Teresa's face.

The man in the farm equipment power armor blocks a rushing shoulder tackle, crossing his arms in front of himself and producing the blade of a bulldozer to completely neutralize the attack. He raises his left arm, changes the shape of the arm to one of a backhoe claw, and smashes the Kyo clone so hard he goes flying into one of the others. The cowgirl's cows bellow as they charge through the Kyo clone gang, and those that are hit are scattered. One manages to jump onto the back of the cow the girl is riding, and the two grab each other. He tries to punch her, but the cow starts to buck wildly, and while the cowgirl hangs on with ease, the Kyo clone struggles to keep a grip and starts yelling wildly. Three Kyo clones rush at the younger man with the mechanical leg units, only to skid to a stop when he leaps high into the air. He comes crashing down clean on top of two of them, crushing them against the ground, and they cough up blood. The third throws a rising, spinning, flaming uppercut, but the young man leans back hard to avoid the attack, then kicks the Kyo clone in the gut and sends him flying against the Enforcer droid. The droid wobbles in the air, and opens fire on the group. One of its blasters is shot from the side, behind its shields, and is completely destroyed on the first shot, by the sharpshooter man. He shoots directly over the head of a Kyo clone approaching him, parting the clone's hair, and blood begins to flow down the center of his face. His eyes widen in terror as the man adjusts his aim for a more serious shot, should he approach. Another Kyo clone leaps over the injured one, the sharpshooter adjusts, and fires a shot that nails the Kyo clone in the shoulder for a through-and-through shot. The Kyo clone screams in pain and flops to the ground, blood flowing freely, and he jumps to his feet. He and his injured ally back away from the cold shooter. The hooded girl with the scythe splits her weapon in two and takes on an elegant stance. She leaps toward the Kyo clones and starts swinging as gracefully as a ballet dancer, slashing and slicing the Kyo clones as she goes. Their wounds are mostly to the flesh, but are incredibly painful, and they shortly notice burning itches starting to form as well. One of them throws a hard forward punch, but the girl blocks with crossed scythes and parries the attack with swipes that slash the Kyo clone's arm. He yelps and pulls back. The Enforcer drone continues to fire shots from its three blasters, but one of the cowgirl's giant cows terrifies the enemy crowd with a leap at the droid, headbutting it, overloading its shields and bringing the droid to the ground.

Bella stares in amazement for a few moments, but when she hears Zan hit the ground, she looks over at him and Teresa. She grabs their guns as she scrambles to her feet, and rushes over to them. "Zan! Teresa!" she shrieks as she approaches.

Zan groans, and mutters deliriously, "Head... hurts... Did anyone else see the Du'Inke that hit me..?"

Bella gives Zan a worried look, but hears the flight sounds of the Scout Drones that were harrying Teresa atop the windmill, and sees them approaching from above. Teresa whimpers and clings to Zan, and Bella sets his Pulse Rifle down. She starts shooting at the droids with her Compression Phaser Rifle, and right away strikes and destroys one of the droids. The others open fire, and Bella, determined to protect Zan and Teresa during this moment of vulnerability, moves with agility to avoid being struck. The pain of the two injuries to her face becomes overshadowed by her valiant conviction.

The farm armor man swings his backhoe arm to strike another Kyo clone, knocking him over, then converts both arms, bringing them together, into the toothy spinner of a thresher unit. The Kyo clone immediately becomes terrified and flips to his feet. He desperately casts a huge flame blast at the armored man, and he takes the hit, his armor absorbing the blast. He swings the thresher unit, and the Kyo clone frantically avoids the attack, not wanting to be chopped to pieces. He promptly gets trampled, instead, by the bird legs man and struggles to get to his feet. The cowgirl finds herself impressed by the Kyo clone desperately trying to hang on to her thrashing cow, and kicks him in the face a couple of times until he is finally flung off, where he lands on two other Kyo clones. The Enforcer droid is promptly mangled by the other large cow, and explodes. The cow bellows a victorious moo, then snorts when it spots other Kyo clones. They yelp, and take off running when the cow charges after them. The Kyo clones struggling with the scythe girl cannot get close, and they have all become incredibly itchy from the slices she's given them. She reunites her scythe blades into a large double-bladed unit, and starts twirling it dynamically, launching slashes made of pure pollen. The Kyo clones' eyes start to water, they become incredibly itchy, and get slashed up even more. They start sneezing, and two of them fall over from the overwhelming storm of pollen. As for the Kyo clones facing the sharpshooter, they back away fearfully. He points his guns, and they can tell he's aiming for headshots now. They flip out, and take off running.

Completely overwhelmed and terribly injured by the Superfarmers, the Kyo clones gather up their wounded and scramble to get away. The cowgirl and the bird legs man chase them a short distance until they are satisfied. The farm armor man, the scythe girl and the sharpshooter turn their attention toward the Scout Drones shooting at Bella, and watch as she returns fire, protecting Zan and Teresa as best as she can. The sharpshooter passes a glance at the farm armor man, and he nods. The sharpshooter aims, and fires shots, destroying two of the droids simultaneously. The scythe girl flings her weapon, and destroys another droid. Bella keeps her attention on the droids, and fires more shots, damaging those that remain, and destroys another. The bird legs man comes charging in, leaps, and kicks one of the droids, sending it flying like a soccer ball toward the farm armor man. He converts his right arm into a disc harrow arm, and swings it, slicing the droid into metallic ribbons on impact. Zan slowly recovers, and rolls over onto his back, Teresa still clinging to him. He watches as Bella fires a burst shot at the last droid, shooting it down, and it crashes near the base of the windmill, where it explodes. Zan sighs in relief, and looks at Teresa. She looks at him with tear-and-love-filled eyes, and buries her face in his chest. He holds her close for a moment, calming down somewhat.

When the Camera Drone sees that all of its allied combatants have been defeated, it flees the scene. Bella drops into a splay-legged pose next to Zan. She pants, "Zan... You did it... Thank goodness..."

Zan holds Teresa dearly, the Relief Icon in his cybernetic eye, and whispers, "Teresa... I found you..."

She looks at him again, and chatters tearfully, "I was so, so worried, master Zan... I lost all of my stuff in that portal... My scepter, my GravBoard... Even the treasure you gave me..." She moves to sit beside Zan, and he pulls up into a sitting position. She looks down at her chest, where the Bejeweled Varkolyn Skull is now missing, and quietly whimpers, "I was alone again... I... I hate being alone now..."

She throws herself into clinging to Zan once again, and he holds her tightly, eyes closed. Bella, too, stays close, and the Superfarmers observe the heartwarming scene.

After a moment of tender embrace, Teresa, trying to maintain her composure, says with half her face buried in Zan's chest, "I knew you would save me, master... And... And I could sense you, even from far away. I knew if I followed that, we would find each other... And I was right!" She looks closely at his face with teary eyes. "I'm so, so glad..." she whispers lovingly.

Zan's cybernetic eye has the Love Icon displayed now, and he kisses Teresa's forehead. She clings abruptly to him once again, and nuzzles his chest. Bella smiles warmly at the sight. Teresa looks at her, suddenly, and exclaims, "I'm so, so glad you're ok too, Bella!"

Bella, with tear-filled eyes and a relieved smile, replies, "Me too, Teresa..." then yelps, when Teresa gives her a hug as well. She smiles afterward, and Zan watches the two. He also notices the Superfarmers quietly observing them...

Her composure slowly returning, Teresa finally notices Bella's wounds, and Zan's Cybranites still working on his head. She grimaces, and comments, "Everyone's hurt... This realm's turning out almost as bad as that stupid Neverland mission!"

Bella forms a similar expression, and responds, "I didn't go on that mission, so I can only imagine. My realm... I can't believe it's been so completely taken over... It's in complete chaos! My vision of those flames was totally accurate..." She trails off.

Teresa dredges up her pride, and thumbs toward herself as she proclaims, "Fortunately, not even a bunch of Fire-wielding thugs can catch me." She grins proudly.

Bella smirks, glad to see Teresa getting her composure back, and remarks, "Yeah, because you're an expert at sneaking and avoiding fights."

Teresa quickly becomes annoyed, and responds, "I fought when I had to! I just... tried to avoid having to..." She looks around, noticing just the three of them, and asks, "...Where's Bridgette and Kira?"

Zan slowly shakes his head. "Still unaccounted for... Are you ok, Teresa?" he asks.

She gives him a cute, confident look, and says, "Yes, master. No one was ever able to hit me. At least, not until those flying robots found me." She shows a blaster shot wound on her arm, and Zan is distressed by it. She covers it with a hand when she sees his reaction, and comments, "It hurts a little, but it's nothing I can't handle."

Zan's upset at the sight of the wound exacerbates the pain of his concussion, and he clutches his head with a groan. The girls yelp and fret. The farm armor man is alarmed by this, and points at them. The Superfarmers approach, and Bella and Teresa notice them. They quickly become protective of Zan, glaring at the Superfarmers and gripping Zan, ready to defend him. At least until the farm armor man removes his helmet. Showing a kindly older man with a five-o'clock shadow, he speaks with a drawl, "Easy. Easy. We're not ya'll's enemies now."

The younger man with a similar build and face, wearing the mechanical bird legs, comments in a similar voice, "Ya'll put up a mighty impressive fight against them invaders for someone with nary a decent weapon."

The sharpshooter man speaks with a perpetual gravelly growl, "Let's get you back to the farmhouse. We can treat your injuries there."

Zan slowly looks around at the farmers, lowering his hand when the pain of his head eases up. "Who are you all?" he inquires.

The older man in farm-themed armor seems surprised by such a question, and replies, "The Dreitlincke Superfarmers, of course. Clearly ya'll ain't from around here."

The younger man with mechanical bird legs follows up, "'Cept for you, sweet Bella Chimes." His use of the word "sweet" gives her pause, and he notices that her breasts are visible through her shirt. He gets a pleased look with a slight blush, but tries to be mature about it, rubbing the back of his head with a slight chuckle, "Eh-heh heh..."

Bella just stares at him. "Say what?" she mumbles.

The older man in farm armor rolls his eyes as he comments, "Don't mind my son. He's a fan of the Trouble Witches for some reason."

Bella tightly crimps her mouth, sick of the term "Trouble Witch" by this point, and tries to respond respectfully, "...I'm not a Trouble Witch anymore. I'm with his," she points at Zan, "team now."

The sharpshooter man grumbles, "Enough talkin'. You're all pretty banged up. Let's get you someplace safe. We can discuss the semantics later."

The shorter girl in the hood with the scythe is distracted however. Looking back at the cornfield, she is distressed as she says with a similar country drawl combined with a very whispy voice, "Daddy, the corn field's burnin'."

Her father looks back, responds, "Oh, right," and presses some buttons on the left arm of his armor suit. He adds, "I'll turn on the sprinklers." Water starts to spout from well-hidden sprinkler units that evidently were recessed into the ground all over the corn field, dousing the fires after a few minutes. The hood and scythe girl becomes happy.

Zan struggles to his feet, and the farm armor man helps him up. The two cows of the cowgirl approach, and the group helps Zan onto one. Bella and Teresa are helped onto the other. The entire group moves off toward the farmhouse, off in the distance. The sun is now quite low in the sky, and the sounds of evening creatures has begun to fill the air in the place of the din of fighting.

As they ride, Teresa notices Bella giving her a look, and forms a curious one. Finally, Bella just asks, "...Teresa. How did you get to the top of that windmill?"

Teresa looks back at the windmill, and answers, "I found a broom in a storage shed. Any broom will do for flight. I kinda liked that broom..."

Bella forms a very amused smirk, and remarks, "You're truly a classic witch, Teresa..."

Teresa looks at Bella with a cute and proud little grin. "Of course!" she chirps.

~Waypoint 11: Refuge from the Flames~

Zan, Bella and Teresa are taken to the Dreitlincke Farmhouse. In the spacious living room of the farmers' home, Zan sits in a small couch. Standing over and behind him, is a beautiful, middle-aged woman who bears resemblance to the two girls, indicating that she is their mother. She is holding her hands over Zan's head, and a strong white glow has engulfed it. He has a very relaxed expression. The older man and sharpshooter are watching, while the younger man is standing at a large window, using a pair of binoculars to scan their property. Teresa and Bella are behind a large privacy screen in the back of the living room, with the two farmer girls. Bella is topless, and the younger girl currently has her top hanging from the privacy screen, using a blowdryer to dry it out. The older girl is helping Teresa rebuild her pigtails. Bella's and Teresa's injuries are gone. And Zan sighs in relief as the woman finishes her task. The cracks in his cybernetic head components have also been fully repaired, the work accelerated by the power cell Zan absorbed from that one droid. As such, the Cybranites darting about around his head have returned to storage within his ear unit. When she finishes, he sighs in relief, and looks back at her as he says, "That is truly some impressive healing abilities you have. My concussion is gone. I thank you greatly for that, and for the healing of my companions."

The woman smiles pleasantly, nods, and acknowledges, "You're quite welcome. Now, please excuse me. The food should be ready soon." She leaves the living room through a side door.

Zan turns his attention back to the man in farm-themed armor, resuming their conversation, and the man says, "So let me get this straight: ya'll're from another dimension?"

Zan nods as he folds his arms, and replies, "Indeed. The Amethytus Estate is on another planet, and we have the ability to travel to other realms."

The sharpshooter man gravels, "Okay. And you've come here to stop these invaders."

"Correct," Zan responds, "We are not allied with them or any other enemy faction. Bella Chimes is with my Estate Entourage now, and is no longer a Trouble Witch."

The younger man, while still looking out the window, comments with just a hint of relief, "That's good to hear, really."

The farm-armor man sits back in his chair, looking relieved himself. "Good, good. Glad to hear we have allies then. I was thinkin' of startin' up a coup to get our old king back, but if ya'll're here to liberate the land, then we can rely on you. Allow me to introduce ourselves. I'm Zedekinyu Dreitlicke, Superfarmer Codename Gigatractor. My brother, here, is Gulrobert, codename Bulletseed." The sharpshooter, Gulrobert, gives Zan a salutes, to which Zan returns the gesture. Zedekinyu continues, "My son over yonder by the window is Abracoom, codename Moastrider." Abracoom raises a hand in acknowledgement, while keeping the binoculars to his eyes. Zedekinyu resumes, "My older daughter helpin' your pigtailed daughter there," Zan and Teresa both flinch the moment they hear the word "daughter", she forms a blush, and Zedekinyu can't help but notice their reactions as he speaks, "is... er... Something up?"

Laughing sheepishly, but with a touch of delight, Zan starts, "She's... ...no, never mind. Proceed." He calms down. Bella gives Teresa an extremely amused look, and she can't help but be pleased and embarrassed at the same time.

Zedekinyu gives them a curious look, then shrugs, and resumes, "My older daughter is Reburkka, codename Cowbelle. You could've probably guessed that. She's got no imagination." He forms a smirk.

Reburkka's eye twitches, and she barks, "I heard that, dad!"

Zedekinyu just grins teasingly. "Heh heh heh... And my little blade-lovin' child is Jeinice, code name Harvestime. Did I mention she loves blades?" he comments. He leans closer to Zan, who arches an eye ridge, and Zedekinyu speaks slightly quieter, though not enough to be unheard, "I worry 'bout her sometimes..."

Bella, Teresa and Reburkka give Jeinice a look, and she returns it with a creepy grin, eyes briefly shadowed over by her hood, that casts a dread upon the Amethytus girls. Teresa pulls back slightly, her pigtails bristling enough for Reburkka to notice. "I've seen that look before... Many witches would get that look back in my home realm. I guess that type is everywhere..." Teresa whispers nervously.

Jeinice just as quickly discards the creepy look, surprising Bella and Teresa yet again. Zedekinyu then finishes, "And last, but far from least, my lovely wife whom you've experienced first hand her healing touch, and soon will feast upon her cooking touch, Hannah! She don't fight with us."

Bella audibly snerks, and immediately slaps her hand over her mouth. She gets an unnerving look from Reburkka and Jeinice. Teresa puts on a thoughtful little look, and comments, "Odd name out, much? Hee hee hee..." The farm girls turn their looks on Teresa, who just grins.

Zedekinyu sits back again, folding his muscular arms, and speaks, "Together we form the Dreitlincke Superfarmers, defenders of the coastal plains and suppliers of life products to the city and country folks! We'd normally get out there and trounce those invaders, but they've got the superiority of numbers, and we're worried about what they might do to the king if we get all rowdy... I'm hopin' you all will have a solution."

Zan nods formally, and replies, "It is an honor to meet you all. I am extremely grateful for your help with dealing with those invaders and our injuries. Unfortunately, we're having a pretty rough time of this, since it seems they got the upper hand on us before we even managed to enter this realm. Right now we're in need of information. What do you know about them?"

Zedekinyu looks out the window, a solemn look forming, and says, "These foreigners showed up about a week ago from outta nowhere, comin' from the north. Barked somethin' about takin' over Eihemland, and they did a surprisingly quick job of it. I reckon their leaders managed to get into the castle and put the king under their thumb or somethin'. All of a sudden he announced that we should accept these people as our new leaders. The city folk are mighty restless, but too afraid to start an uprisin'."

A scowl forms on Bella's face as she mutters under her breath, "Don't I know it..." Reburkka, Jeinice and Teresa give her a concerned look.

Zan rests the side of his hand over his mouth as he thinks out loud, "They came from the north... That's probably there the Interdimensional Static is then." A look from the farmers prompts Zan to explain, "They've clearly used this Static, which is a breach between dimensions, to get into this and other realms with their army, of which I've seen units that are not native to this realm. My job, as The Interdimensional Lord of Peace and Security from the Amethytus Estate, is to fix such breaches and restore as much balance as possible to realms where the breach has been exploited significantly."

Gulrobert seems impressed with Zan's words, and grumbles, "Sounds like you know your stuff. I'd ask how you travel between realms, but I doubt you have the time or will to explain in detail. You've clearly got your hands full, especially without your gear to help you."

A perturbed look takes over Zan's face, and he looks out the window. "Yeah, and two of my party members are missing still..." he replies.

Bella's demeanor darkens, as she mutters, "Bridgette... Kira... I hope they're ok..."

Reburkka flinches. "Wait, Mr. Zan's team is all girls?" she asks with clear surprise.

Bella gives her a snagglefanged smirk, and replies, "Technically I'm the leader, and Zan is supporting me. I'm from this realm, and when I learned that it was under attack, I asked him to help me save it."

Teresa lowers her head, forming a mischievous look. "Try 'pleaded'," she corrects. Bella throws a glare at Teresa, who just snickers.

Abracoom lowers his binoculars as he looks over at the privacy screen. He can't see the girls, but speaks toward them, "It's amazin' that you would go so far to save our land, Bella Chimes. I hope everyone learns about it, since the last time, you were a Trouble Witch."

Bella quickly takes on a sour look, and replies, "I don't need to be reminded of that..."

Jeinice shuts off the blowdryer, and after giving it a look over, hands Bella her dried top. "Here you are. All dry," she says softly.

Bella smiles, nods, and takes it. She puts it on, and blushes slightly. She coos, "Ooh, it's so warm..." Jeinice snickers.

Reburkka finishes with Teresa's pigtails, and takes note of the tears in her clothing. She hooks one with a finger, causing Teresa to flinch. "I could sew up those holes in your clothes too," Reburkka says, tugging at a hole slightly.

Teresa puts a hand on Reburkka's to stop her, and responds, "No thank you. Master Zan will fix them later."

Reburkka stares at Teresa, blinks, then remarks, "...'Master' Zan?"

Teresa states with pride and admiration, "Yes! He's my master!" She shrinks a bit, forming a slight blush, as she quietly adds, "...Not my father..."

Reburkka and Jeinice look at each other with curious expressions, and look at Bella when they hear her snicker. Jeinice then pushes aside the privacy screen, and they head toward the rest of the group. At around the same time, Hannah enters the room with a large tray of ham sandwiches, cheese and turkey omelettes, and glasses of milk. Bella quickly becomes excited on seeing the food, as she and Teresa approach. Zan forms the Amusement Icon in his cybernetic eye, as he comments, "Breakfast for dinner, eh?"

Hannah chuckles, and replies, "Food is food, no matter when you eat it."

Zan nods with a smile, and says, "I hear that. Thank you. I don't need to eat, so I'm going to store my portion of this to give to our missing friends when we find them."

Hannah, and the other farmers too, blink. "Pardon, but, 'store'?" she asks.

Zan takes one of the sandwiches and omelettes, and transfers them to his personal pocket dimension, which comes across to the others as having the items slip into nothingness, along with his hand briefly. Hannah is only half surprised, as she comments, "Ah. You foreigners and your fancy technologies. Would you like a bottle for the milk?"

Zan gives her a gracious look, and closes his eyes as he answers, "If I may."

Hannah just nods, and leaves to get one. Teresa and Bella sit beside Zan, and give him anxious looks. He stares at them, pretending to not know what they're trying to hint at, until Teresa emits a whimper. Zan snickers, and says, "...I'm not the leader right now. Go right ahead."

Bella immediately grabs a sandwich, exclaims, "Thank you for the food!" and starts eating right away. "Yeah, thank you," Teresa adds, also starting to eat. They both immediately notice that the food is truly delicious.

Zedekinyu smirks with pride on seeing and hearing Bella and Teresa react with delight at how good the food tastes. Reburkka leaves the living room through the same door her mother took. Jeinice moves to stand beside the couch Zan, Bella and Teresa are using. She gives Zan a curious look. Shortly into the meal though, Teresa catches a glimpse of one of Zan's hands, resting on his leg, and nearly chokes when she sees the huge gaping hole. She coughs for a second, alarming everyone, but then grabs Zan's hand. "M-master! What happened to you?!" she squeals. Then she notices the other hand as well, and gets more upset, yelping, "AGH!"

Zan first touches Teresa's face gently to calm her down, then puts an arm around her. He starts explaining to her about his Plasma Cell slots the same as he did for Bella. Bella, Zedekinyu, Gulrobert and Jeinice observe this, and Jeinice finds herself very charmed by his gentle treatment of Teresa. She leans a little closer to watch him talk to Teresa as she nervously listens, calming down when Zan assuages her fear. And as he talks to her, he uses his free hand to repair the tears in her clothing. Now that his self-repairs are complete, he can expend energy on fixing other people's damages. Jeinice watches this with amazement. Bella, meanwhile, turns her attention to Zedekinyu. She slowly starts into speaking, in a solemn tone, "When we arrived in Eihemland earlier today, my party got separated by whatever the invaders did to our causeway into this realm. We were all dumped out of these portals in the sky over Eihemland. I ended up over downtown, Zan ended up over the Stonedump Field, and Teresa, I guess, ended up near the western shores, since we found her in your Wind Farm. Did any of you happen to see a couple other portals open in the sky over Eihemland?"

Zedekinyu and Gulrobert look at each other, and shake their heads. The former apologetically replies, "Sorry little lady, we don't get much of a view beyond our property 'round these parts. Abracoom, did you see anything?"

Abracoom looks over his shoulder at them from where he stands at the window, and says, "I did see yer little pigtailed friend, Teresa, fall from the sky, but she disappeared right quick once she landed."

Bella looks dismayed. Gulrobert gravels, "I haven't either. However, somethin' like that's not likely to go unnoticed by the residents or invaders. Lemme check the internet news. Maybe there's somethin' noteworthy there."

He gets up to go over to a desk in the living room, and picks up a tablet, surprising Zan and reaffirming his awareness that Eihemland is truly a schizotech realm. Gulrobert starts checking various news reports sites. As he does, Jeinice, who finds herself very drawn to Zan, moves around to stand in front of him, getting his and Teresa's attention. She stands with her hands together behind her back, and sweetly says, "You're one sharp hero, Mr. Zan. And I can see you're a lady's man too." She leans forward, her hood partially shadowing her eyes, getting a suggestive look, as she adds in a sensual tone, "Would you like to take a look at my blade collection?"

Teresa and Bella become very amused. This kind of thing seems to happen to Zan everywhere they go. They look at him, well aware of how he handles such flirting. Zedekinyu, however, immediately goes on alert, his fatherly duty of protecting his children ready to rise to the challenge. Hannah and Reburkka entered the room at around this point, but stop, and wait to see what's going to happen.

Zan gives Jeinice a soft look and a small smile, head tilted just slightly. "Thanks for the invitation, Jeinice. However, not only do I believe that your parents wouldn't appreciate such a thing, but we barely know each other. You should save such things for someone you love," he responds in a gentle and respectful manner.

Teresa closes her eyes, smiling with pride for her master. Bella slowly bites into her sandwich, passing her glance over Jeinice, Zedekinyu and Gulrobert. Jeinice looks slightly disappointed. Gulrobert is trying not to laugh. Zedekinyu, however, now has a look of deep admiration for Zan. With a boisterous tone, he remarks, "Well NOW I know why you're a 'Lord', Mr. Zan. Jeinice, go sit down before you get everyone all riled up." He thumbs to a chair.

Jeinice quietly does so, sulking just a little bit. Hannah and Reburkka look at each other, with approving expressions. They move in farther, and Reburkka goes over to the window by her brother to look out. Hannah takes the glass of milk meant for Zan and transfers the milk to the bottle. Afterward, she gives him the milk bottle, and smiles as she says, "Keep the bottle. I'm sure you know well enough how useful empty bottles can be."

Bella nearly chokes on her food when she busts out laughing. Zan gets the Amusement Icon again in his cybernetic eye, and nods, slipping it into his personal pocket dimension. Teresa, however, is caught off guard by Bella's sudden laugh, not familiar with whatever cause there could be for it, due to her lack of experience with the Entourage's many past missions. Hannah, too, doesn't realize what she inadvertently referenced by saying that, and becomes baffled. Zan detects this, and says, "Thank you, ma'am. Don't mind us. We've just seen a lot is all, and you reminded us of something that is a bit of an in-joke for us. If we had more time, I'd tell you all."

Before this odd little scene can continue however, Gulrobert growls, "Oh great lord of Rime..."

Everyone looks at him, and he is staring with dread at a report on his tablet. Zedekinyu's eyes go wide at the sight, and he remarks, "Whoa. Takes a lot to make Bob get THAT look."

Gulrobert grumbles, "It's... her..." and turns the tablet to face everyone else. On its screen, they can see a large photograph, of a blonde-haired girl with a red hair bow that resembles rabbit ears, riding on a vacuum cleaner in the sky. There is someone with her as well.

Bella blinks, then yelps, "Oh! Chez Shay!"

Gulrobert, who is clearly quite fearful, growls, "This report was just released, and says that that psychotic witch is flying around over Eihemland City!"

Zedekinyu brings a hand to the side of his head as he exclaims, "If there EVER were a Trouble Witch, it's her! Things are just gettin' worse for Eihemland if she's decided to show up!"

"Wait a sec," Zan quickly says, and gestures to receive the tablet. "May I?"

Gulrobert gets up and hands Zan the tablet. He, Bella and Teresa look closer, and promptly become excited. "Bridgette!" Bella squeaks. Teresa enthusiastically prattles, "I see! I see! I really see Bridgette! She's riding on that girl's- ...vacuum cleaner... What the heck?" She stares in disbelief.

Zan has the Triumphant Icon in his cybernetic eye now, and says with clear confidence in his tone, "Excellent... I can't tell you how relieved that makes me feel." Bella looks at him happily, and adds, "Me too!"

Zedekinyu reaches out at them, shaking a hand a couple of times. "Hold your horses! What're ya'll gettin' happy about?" he asks, genuinely confused.

Zan looks at the farmers with confidence in his eyes, and explains, "I've been to Eihemland before. I met Chez Shay during my first trip here. And... like your daughter there, Chez Shay took a liking to me very quickly. We formed something of an acquaintance. The fact that Bridgette is with her in this photo is proof that she's become aware of our situation and is helping us."

Zedekinyu, absolutely astonished, lets out a slight grunt, then sits back to laugh. "Well now I've seen everythin'," he adds.

Gulrobert, eyes wide under the shadow of his hat, gravels, "Someone that Chez Shay is FRIENDLY towards? Unheard of!"

Abracoom, along with Reburkka, have turned to stare at Zan. The former blurts, "Just how many of the Trouble Witches do you know, Mr. Zan?"

Zan tilts his head knowingly, and replies, "I've met all of the ones from this region. Of them all, Bella was the one I ended up closest to." He gives her a loving look, and she blushes slightly, with a small smile.

Abracoom just continues to stare in amazement. Zedekinyu, still astonished, laughs again, and comments, "Ya'll are some strange folks alright."

Zan chuckles, and hands Gulrobert his tablet back. He speaks more or less to Bella and Teresa, "Well, now we know where Bridgette is. All we have to do is locate Kira..."

Bella just looks off to the side. "Not that I'm worried about her. It was Kira that I heard had teamed up with a witch from this region," she remarks. However, her thoughts shift back to her mistake of not taking enough party members, and a dour look overcomes her. She mutters, "...I guess we needed a couple extra friends after all..."

Zan shakes his head, resting a hand on Bella's shoulder, and responds, "And they would have just ended up scattered like the rest of us."

Bella pinches her lips, her mood sinking into dismay, and she laments, "Yeah, I know, but still... If I'd brought along a psychic..."

Zan puts an arm around Bella to help her resist discouragement, and speaks gently, "What's done is done, Bella. You've made a mistake. Now you must prove your worth by overcoming the results." He takes this opportunity, noticing once again the sparse damages to her outfit, to repair them as he comforts her.

Observing her dismay has disturbed Abracoom significantly. Finally, he breaks into a rousing speech, "Bella Chimes, you're a lot more resolute than this! Where's that determination?! That gung-ho spirit you had to fight the other witches when you were working for Amalgam?! If you were that determined while on the evil side, shouldn't you be that much more determined now that Mr. Zan here, who's a hero, is your boss?! He's given you a chance to prove yourself, so don't get all broody! You can do it!"

Zedekinyu chuckles, watching his son shout, and comments, "There goes my son on one of his flashes of insightful encouragement."

Bella looks at Zan and Abracoom, and they can see her spirit rise within her again. The tone of her voice rises with her spirit, "Yes. Yes, I can! Thank you, Zan. Thank you, too, Abracoom. I'm not alone anymore anyway! With Zan and Teresa, and I expect soon Bridgette and Kira back, we can win this!"

Abracoom leans back, folding his arms with a big, toothy grin, and nods. "There ya go!" he shouts. Bella is now very energized.

Zan notices that the food they were provided is more or less gone, so he says, "Done eating you two?"

Teresa nods, and replies, "Yes, master." She turns to look at Hannah, and adds, "Thank you for the food."

Bella blinks, remembering her manners, and says, "Oh, right, thank you. I was so hungry... In fact, thank you for the hospitality in general." She nods a couple of times.

Hannah, with a warm, pleased smile, gently replies, "You're very welcome."

Zedekinyu gestures with a hand as he says, "Anyone opposed to the regime these invaders have set up is a friend of ours. Ya'll clearly have the best chance at driving these people out of our land, given your familiarity with the sitchiation. I wish ya'll the best of luck in gettin' your gear back."

Bella, brimming with energy, gets up, and Zan and Teresa follow. Bella takes on a dramatic stance, and exclaims, "Now, we need to get going! We have to find Bridgette and Kira somehow, and get back to our mission! We shouldn't put it off any longer."

Gulrobert leans to one side, an eye narrowed, and grumbles, "Now I know Abracoom's fixed your fighting spirit, but... ...Ain't it a bit late to get back out there? We get some weird creepy crawlies out there at night sometimes, and then there's all those flying robots of the invaders prowling around."

Bella shakes her head, eyes closed. "We'll be fine. Right?" she says, looking at Zan and Teresa.

"Right!" Teresa chirps excitedly.

Bella looks at the farmers next, and proclaims, "I have full confidence in my team that we will be able to work just as effectively under the cover of night!" The farmers give her speculative looks, but say nothing else.

Zan just watches with amusement, though he is also pleased to see that Bella has overcome her discouragement. Finally, Hannah lets out a soft chuckle, and says, "Well then. Think you could spare some time to escort them to the edge of our property, Zed?"

Zedekinyu smirks, and replies, "Why of course!" He, Gulrobert, and Jeinice get up as well.

Hannah faces Bella's group, waves a hand with a nod of the head, and warmly says, "Take care of yourselves. Please come see us again if you need anything."

Bella nods again. "Thank you!"

Hannah watches as Bella's group heads to the front door, with the Superfarmers right behind them. They leave the farmhouse.

Outside, evening is well set in now, the sun low, and the ambiance peaceful. A gentle, slightly moist breeze, blows about. Once the group gets off the front porch, Reburkka takes out a large cow bell and rattles it. Within a few seconds, her two massive cows come around the building and up to the group. She hops onto the back of one of them, and gives her father a thumbs up. He nods and puts his helmet on. Abracoom presses a button on his belt, and the mechanical, bird-like legs assemble themselves over his own legs, increasing his height by at least an additional foot. Gulrobert checks his guns, and Jeinice draws her scythe. Bella, Teresa and Zan observe this setup, and feel slight pangs of jealousy. Zan takes out his Pulse Rifle and checks over himself. Finding that his repairs are fully completed, he feels ready to go, even if he is lacking his primary weapons and energy supply systems. Teresa just stays close to Zan, and Bella takes point. The group heads across the wide-open and well-cultivated front yard. They can see the hill, the edge of the farm's property, where Bella first arrived at the Dreitlincke territory, in the distance. They can also see airborne droids between them and that destination. Zan narrows his eyes, able to see them even from afar, and mutters, "Looks like we might have to fight those things."

Bella takes out her Compression Phaser Rifle, scoffs, and comments, "Hmph. If we can take down shielded attack droids, then those clunky things won't be a problem."

Zan gives her an amused look, then speaks to Abracoom, "You really rejuvenated her determination. Thanks for that."

Abracoom grins a proud grin, and replies, "Just doin' my part to help a reformed Trouble Witch."

Gulrobert blinks, then gravels, "Oh, right, about that. I'm going to post on a few public online forums about your change of alliances. If enough people see them, then your reputation around these parts should start to change for the better."

Bella's demeanor shifts more toward soft appreciation, and she responds, "That would be fantastic. Thank you."

Gulrobert nods, and the group moves through a small patch of young apple trees. They press forward toward the edge of the property, and enter an empty yard. They hear an alarm sound come from one of the droids, and the entire batch turn to face them. There are a dozen of these Scout Drones, plus one Camera Drone, and they rush toward the group. Bella unhesitatingly opens fire with a streaming shot from her rifle, damaging one of the droids right away. The Camera Drone moves close to take a picture of Gigatractor, but he converts an arm into a jawed backhoe and grabs the little droid with it. He proceeds to crush the droid, immediately taking it out of the fight. The Scout Drones open fire with yellow energy bolts, firing quickly. The Superfarmers jump into action, avoiding the shots. Bella, Teresa, and Zan, too, jump about to avoid the projectiles. Moastrider leaps forward suddenly and brings down an ax-kick on one of the droids, slamming it against the ground. It feebly rises up, only to be headbutted by one of Cowbelle's cows, and is sent flying into a bush. It shortly emerges to return to the fight, sparking and smoking as it flies. One of the droids builds up a charge of energy, and fires it at Zan, but he swings his Pulse Rifle with great force to deflect it. He immediately returns fire with his Pulse Rifle, damaging the droid. Bulletseed has also opened fire on the droids, shooting them with his large revolvers, and never missing a shot despite the droids strafing around the group firing rapidly. They seem resistant to his solid projectiles, but they still jolt and wobble from every hit, occasionally casting off sparks. One of the droids gets behind him and fires a shot, striking him in the back. He jolts with a yelp, and swings around to shoot the droid with both guns. The droid jolts, and sparks, and one of its plates breaks off. Harvestime leaps in suddenly, slicing the droid clean in half with her scythe, and destroying it. Teresa yelps when a droid descends right in front of her, and shields herself with her arms in fear. Zan and Bella respond to her cry by directing their shots at it, severely damaging it. Bella swings a hand upward as a follow-up, and creates a rising slash of Light that destroys the droid. Teresa slowly lowers her arms, and fusses, "I hate this! I can't do anything!"

Zan moves next to her, and gently encourages her, "Focus, Teresa... If Bella can use Kinetics without an amplifier, you should be able to, too."

Teresa gives Zan a stare that evolves into determination. "...Yes, master!" she responds.

She focuses, trying to increase her power, as the firefight rages. Moastrider is bounding and leaping all over the yard, throwing powerful kicks at every droid he comes close to. One of them manages to nail him with an energy bolt, but he takes the hit in stride, and kicks the droid so hard it goes flying, right at Gigatractor. He catches it in his jawed backhoe arm, and throws it at Zan. Zan performs a flip-kick, sending the droid straight up, and he and Bella barrage the droid with shots from their guns, destroying it high in the sky. Cowbelle shortly destroys another when her cow rears up and brings its heavy girth down on one of the droids trying to get a low angle shot on Teresa, crushing it quickly. Having suffered loses, the droids suddenly bunch up to form a wall of guns, and start firing their energy shots in tandem. Gigatractor and Bella jump between the group and the droids, and he produces a large bulldozer blade, while she creates a Light Screen. Zan and Bulletseed move to fire around the barriers at the droids, while Teresa stays behind Zan and continues to focus, slowly building up energy. Bella yelps when her Light Screen is nearly crashed by a direct hit from a charged shot from one of the droids, but one of the droids is also shot out of the air by Zan's Pulse Rifle and explodes when it hits the ground. Harvestime separates her double scythe, and flings the two curved blades. They fly out, around the barrier the group has set up, and pass across the droids, two lines of them being slashed by the whirling blades. Sparks and bits of plating fall off the droids, but they continue to barrage the barriers with their energy bolts. Zan and Bulletseed shoot at the most-damaged of the droids, and destroy two of them rather suddenly. Noticing their tendency to change tactics, Zan comments, "They're basic designs, but they seem pretty intelligent."

Bella just scowls as she responds, "They're relentless is what they are!" She jolts slightly, her barrier being pummeled continuously.

As Zan shoots at the droids, he speaks, "Interestingly, they look like Halo Sentinels, but seem to be armed with the Power Beam. Whoever these invaders are, they've really accumulated some tech. If we can't fix the interdimensional exploitation problem completely on this mission, they could just come right back. Once I confirm who they are, I'm going to have to dispatch Malin's Espionage Team to investigate them."

Remaining behind Zan to focus, Teresa asks, "Who ARE the invaders, master?"

Zan just shakes his head, taking cover from the enemy fire behind the barriers, and responds, "Too soon to tell. I need to encounter some of their higher-ranking officers first. I have my suspicions..." His thoughts drift for a moment.

The droids stop firing, but the sound of building energy is emanating from them. Bella, able to see them through her Light Screen, widens her eyes in dread, her teeth gritted, and she exclaims, "They're ALL building charges! That's going to crash my barrier!"

Zan and Bulletseed frantically fire shots to destabilize the droids, but it isn't enough before they all fire charged shots. Bella is thrown onto her back from the blast, and Gigatractor's bulldozer blade starts sparking. Within his helmet, he glowers, and drops the barrier to let it regenerate. Bella gets up and readies her rifle again. Teresa tries to keep her focus, and Zan, Bulletseed and Harvestime frantically fire projectiles. The droids resume their barrage, and the group scatters. At the same time, Cowbelle's two cows charge forward, bellowing wildly, and smash through the crowd of droids, scattering them too, and destroying one outright. With only four left, the droids now enter a new attack pattern. They begin to fly wide circles around the group, moving with incredible velocity, sideways, as they fire shots in at the group. Their speed amazes Zan and Bulletseed, and even they start missing in their efforts to shoot the droids. Moastrider attempts to land kicks on them, but also misses, and gets shot in the shoulder for his efforts. Bella manages to land some hits with the streaming fire of her rifle, but it seems like their high speed flight reduces the amount of damage the droids take. The group is getting pelted by energy bolts, when Teresa, focusing as intensely as she can, suddenly thrusts her hands forward with a high-pitched yell, catching the others' attention. Blueish-purple runes briefly form in the air over three of the four droids, and they suddenly slow down to a crawl, with blueish-purple swirls of Death energy dancing about on the droids. While they maintain their circling flight and strafing shot pattern, they now act with a much reduced level of speed and rate of fire. The next instant, the one droid that wasn't affected accidentally slams with great force into one of the slowed droids, destroying both of them. Bella stares for a moment, jaw agape, then looks at Teresa and exclaims, "Was that the Slow technique?!"

Teresa has a very proud grin, but also a big bead of sweat, as she puts her arms akimbo, and replies, "Cripple, actually. I've been researching Death element techniques. Seems appropriate for a Tar Queen, wouldn't you say?" She smugly looks around at the group.

Zan is clearly surprised that Teresa was able to use this rather high-level skill without her scepter. Then he notices that she's hiding the fact that doing so consumed all of her energy reserves. He smiles warmly, having caught a glimpse of Teresa's potential. She, however, struggles to keep hidden her exhaustion, and knows she won't be able to do that again for a while. Jeinice speaks up, "'Death element techniques'?" She forms a creepy, dark smile, her eyes becoming shadowed by her hood, as she remarks, "Now THAT sounds intriguing."

Zedekinyu lets out a soft groan, and a glimpse of concern appears in his eyes. He looks at Gulrobert, and mumbles, "Now I'm even more worried about her." Gulrobert nods with a grimace.

Abracoom blinks, and asks, "You know magic too?"

Teresa, disguising her stamina drain with her proud front, closes her eyes as she explains, "Oh it isn't magic. Master Zan would explain, but we're busy. Get 'em!" She points at the Crippled droids enthusiastically.

Zan and Moastrider leap at one of the two droids, and smash their heels on it, crushing it against the ground and destroying it. Bella shifts her Compression Phaser Rifle into burst mode and joins Bulletseed in barraging the last droid with heavily-damaging shots, tearing it to pieces and destroying it. After a moment to confirm that they've destroyed the group, everyone calms down, and takes a minute to celebrate the victory. Zan faces the Superfarmers with the Triumph Icon in his cybernetic eye. "You definitely are a superhero team. Not only do you have a good balance of techniques, but you're well coordinated," he compliments.

Zedekinyu forms a big grin, though it is hidden by his all-covering helmet, and exclaims, "Haw! I could say the same for you likewise, Lord Zan! And if ya'll are as handicapped as you claim to be while missing your gear and short on members, I can only IMAGINE the sight of ya'll in your prime!"

Teresa maintains her very proud expression, and declares, "We're the Amethytus Entourage! No evil forces can withstand our combination abilities!"

Bella looks at Teresa with a snicker, and remarks, "Except that we don't HAVE combination abilities."

Zan blinks, with that look that clearly indicates an idea, and says, "...I'm going to have to do more research on that later. Combining two or more abilities tends to be a great way of building bonds at the same time as defeating enemies. I've already been experimenting with techniques like that. Remember Photon Spark?" Bella and Teresa blink, then grin, with a curiously ominous look in their eyes.

The Superfarmers observe this little banter with amusement. They, too, realize that figuring out how to perform combination abilities might improve their talents. Eventually, Bella turns her attention to the farmers, and speaks with respect and appreciation, "Anyway, you all really helped us! So I'd like to thank you again, on behalf of the Amethytus Entourage, for the food, healing, and fighting support."

The Superfarmers dramatically take on dynamic stances, causing Bella, Teresa and Zan to flinch, then snicker. The Superfarmers then acknowledge, with Jeinice giving Zan a fond look. He smiles in response to this. Zedekinyu replies, "Ya'll be careful out there, y'hear?" He gives them a fist-pump.

Gulrobert grumbles, "I'll be sure to start letting folks know that ya'll are here to save the land," and tips his hat toward them.

Abracoom responds, "I hope to see you again, sweet Bella Chimes." She gives him an odd look for using that expression again, and he chuckles, rubbing the back of his helmeted head.

Reburkka comments, "This is going to make for a really outstanding journal entry!" and turns her attention toward her own thoughts.

Jeinice winks at Zan, still managing to exude a particularly frightening aura, and whispers, "I'll be waiting to see you again."

Bella smirks, a fang peeking out, and she mumbles, "There she goes again..." "My master's so popular," Teresa comments with a snicker.

Zan just gives her a soft look, then speaks with his own great appreciation, "Thank you all. May we meet again under better circumstances."

Bella takes point again as she, Zan and Teresa climb the hill at the edge of the property, and look back once at the waving Superfarmers. The two groups then go their separate ways, Bella's group heading back the way she originally came, while the Superfarmers head back to their farmhouse.

Bella, Teresa and Zan travel along the country road, going in reverse the direction Bella went to arrive at the farm. The sun is beginning to set now, and the evening ambiance and temperatures grants the three a respite of peace during this mission. After a short time, Zan looks at the girls, and they look back. They smile, bringing a smile to his face, and he says, "I can't tell you how glad I am that you two are ok."

Teresa takes hold of Zan's arm, and rubs the side of her face against it as she replies, "Me too, master. When I lost my stuff, and all I could feel was your distant aura, I was really, really worried."

Bella looks forward with determination, and says, "As the one in charge of this mission, I take the responsibility. But I'll make up for it too, once we can find the others and get going again." This produces an approving look from Zan.

Teresa blinks, looks up at Zan, and asks, "Speaking of others, why didn't those farmer hicks offer to actually HELP us find our friends and complete our mission?"

Zan looks over his shoulder back toward the farm's direction, and responds, "They probably need to protect that farm. You saw their property. They had a WIND FARM. Talk about taking something up to eleven."

Teresa looks back as well, but only for a moment, as she comments, "It had a lovely view of the beach though. That's where I was dumped out at. ...Took me forever to get the sand out of my clothes. ...And then there was that crab." Her face devolves into a disturbed look.

Bella blinks, looks at Teresa, and tilts her head. "...Crab?" she echoes.

Teresa quickly becomes highly agitated, and squeaks, "N-nevermind! Master, how are we going to find the others? Do your sensors work?"

Zan gives Teresa a strange look for a second, then looks up at the sky, his cybernetic eye shifting modes a couple of times. Finally he just scowls, and responds, "...No... That jamming frequency the invaders are using is still going strong. It seems to be overhanging the entire region. Considering the tech they have access to, that doesn't surprise me. I do have another idea though... Bella, can you remind me of exactly how you were able to locate me?"

The group subconsciously picks up the pace at the thought of locating their friends before nightfall, jogging along the country road. As they go, Bella answers, "Like Teresa said, I could feel your aura, Zan. Even from miles away, I could sense your location. So I followed it, and as I got closer to you, it became stronger to the point I could tell exactly which direction you were in."

Teresa chimes in, "Same here! I somehow knew you were in that farm. I would have gotten to you sooner if those darn robots hadn't found me." She gives Zan a smile.

They notice that Zan now has the Love Icon in his cybernetic eye. He gently speaks, "I knew that compatibility with my Tranquility Aura would have some curious effects, but I didn't expect a 'Compass Effect'... I guess that's one of the side-effects of love, eh?"

The girls give him sweet looks. Their hearts warmed, Zan remarks, "That pleases me to no end... And gives me an interesting idea. I may be able to make use of that effect to draw in our missing friends, even without communication technology or a psychic to bridge the gap between us."

Teresa tilts her head quizzically, and says, "Master?"

As Zan explains his idea to the girls, they trot on down the country road, heading back toward the western suburban section of Eihemland.

Within half an hour's time, the three arrive at the neighborhood crossing where Bella distracted the Kyo clones. The area is very quiet now. A few chirping birds and crickets, and the bark of a distant dog. The three stop only briefly at this crossing, before Bella directs them to head up the eastern path. She saw something while in that apple tree earlier and believes it might be a good place to go. They head that way.

They shortly find themselves at the entrance to a very large construction site. They look at the sign on the fence, and see that it is a hotel that is under construction. Zan seems strangely taken aback, and comments, "...A hotel? Here? This is a residential neighborhood! That's going to hurt the local neighborhood values."

Teresa crimps her mouth, and responds, "Who cares? Why are we here?"

Bella gestures toward the construction site and states, "This looks like a good place to try Zan's idea, Teresa. There's no one here."

They clutch the chainlink fence as they peer around inside the site, and confirm that there are neither any Kyo clones or attack droids, nor construction workers. Bella spots a cat prowling around, and has to resist the urge to call to it. The three nod at each other, and scramble up and over the chainlink fence. Teresa gets her foot caught on the top of the fence and falls over with a shriek. Zan and Bella both catch her before she hurts herself, and set her on her feet. She looks at them with frustration, but this is eased by their gentle expressions. They won't make fun of her for her klutziness.

They move through the construction yard, passing a pile of gravel, a cement mixer, a big water trough, a bulldozer, a large stack of girders, and arrive at the skeleton of the hotel structure. The floors have been set in place, including the initial stage floor of the roof, but it is wide open at the moment, with no walls or even steps from one floor to the next. Zan looks up at the roof for a moment. "Normally I'd just jump up there, or use a Subdimension Jump, but I need my Plasma Cells for the former, and that jamming signal is really screwing with my subdimensional coordination... We're going to have to do this the hard way I guess," he says with annoyance.

Teresa looks off to the side, and mutters, "I wish I still had that broom."

Bella gives Teresa a sardonic look, and remarks, "This is a construction yard. Surely there are brooms around here somewhere."

Zan notices something, however, and says, "I can do you one better," getting their attention. When he points at a construction elevator, the girls look, blink, then nod affirmatively.

They head over and enter the elevator. Zan pokes his finger into the keyhole and fills the slot with Cybranites, then turns it to unlock it. Bella pushes the up button, and the elevator takes them to the roof. They exit once there, and head to the center of the barren roof, looking around cautiously as they go. They settle in the center of the roof. Bella gives Zan a gentle, expectant look. "Are you ready, Zan?" she inquires.

Zan returns the look with a fond one of his own, and replies, "As I'll ever be."

He sits down crosslegged on the floor. Bella and Teresa sit beside him, facing him, and watch. He folds his arms, and closes his eyes. He enters a meditative state. His cybernetics begin to glow gently. Then his aura, a lovely shade of purple, becomes visible. This aura expands outward by several feet, taking on a spherical shape, engulfing Bella and Teresa as it expands. They feel an overwhelming sensation of peace. Teresa's stamina quickly regenerates, and Bella's discouragement over her lack of quality work on this mission dissipates completely for the moment. Teresa becomes extremely content, and softly speaks, "...My master... So awesome..."

Bella, feeling quite a bit better for now, comments, "There is no way Bridgette and Kira will not be able to sense this Tranquility Beacon idea of Zan's... We should see them very soon." She closes her eyes to take in the peaceful aura.

Zan continues to generate his Beacon, and tries to sense Bridgette's and Kira's presences...

Over the sky of downtown Eihemland, Chez Shay, a blonde-haired girl wearing a long blue dress, is riding a vacuum cleaner. With her on the appliance is Bridgette, who is hanging on for dear life as the crazy witch battles a Formless Kiman and the Scout and Camera Drones that continuously appear to attack them. Bridgette, like the others, has lost her critical gear. Her scythe, her GravBoard, her Contour Barrier... and her tie. Chez Shay, however, is armed with an umbrella that has a built-in gun. Also with Chez Shay is an animated, child-sized, patchwork rabbit doll, known as The Beast, who, similar to his mistress, tends to sport a perpetual shark-tooth smile. The two have a tendency to share this psychotic smile, along with a penchant for chaotic and violent behavior. The Beast's only clothing item is a long, ragged, red scarf, that perpetually flies in the wind, even when there is none. Chez Shay is barraging the Formless Kiman with her machine Gunbrella, while her little minion continuously produces and flings large missiles at it and the droids that come flying in. There is a rowdy crowd in the streets below, either panicking or cheering her on for fighting the enemies here. But, as Chez Shay opens her Gunbrella to block a bolt of energy from the Formless Kiman, she and Bridgette suddenly detect Zan's Tranquility Beacon. Their eyes glint, and they both look to the west in the direction of Bella's group's position with wide eyes. The Beast tilts his head, unable to sense what they sense, and watches as the two then look at each other. Chez Shay's toothy, scary grin somehow manages to widen a bit more. Bridgette nods affirmatively. With a wild kiai, Chez Shay takes off rocketing in that direction. The Beast emits a surprised yelp, and takes off after them. The Formless Kiman and airborne droids remain where they are, watching the two go, and, if not for the fact none of them have distinct faces, it would be clear that they are all utterly confused by suddenly being ditched by their opponent.

Farther to the east... Much farther, at the western edge of Magorok forest, there is an exotically-designed tower that serves as a research facility for the local flora and fauna of this misty, overgrown forest. At the moment, however, a period of chaos has finally subsided here. Standing on the roof of this curvy tower, is Kira Daidohji. She, too has lost her gear... Her Contour Barrier, her GravPack, and her Ether Blob have been taken from her. If she had a tie, it would probably be gone as well. With her is the Desert Witch, Lyla, a girl of Arabic ethnicity, who wears an extremely scanty dancer's outfit with a purple scale bikini top and pink pants that just barely stay above the bottom of her hips, where they seem to float rather than cling. And floating beside the dark-skinned Lyla is Sasha, a small, female turtle with an oil lamp for a shell. Rising up all around the tower from the ground below is black and blue smoke. Kira stands, arms in a badass fold, and she has an intense frown on her face, clearly furious at whatever just finished happening. Within that instant, the two girls flinch when they suddenly detect Zan's Tranquility Beacon. They both look in its direction with wide eyes. They then exchange alert looks. While Lyla forms an excited smile, Kira's expression remains serious. She grunts, and Lyla nods. She proceeds to unfurl a large, ornate carpet with long tassels that match the ornament hanging from Lyla's little cone-shaped hat. The carpet floats in the air, and Lyla hops on and sits down. Kira sits in front of Lyla, the two sitting cross-legged. Kira glowers at Lyla for some reason, and she shrinks back with a whimper. She bows her head sadly, Sasha looks off to the side with an agitated expression, and the carpet takes off flying to the west, Lyla's extremely long, red hair flying in the wind.

Back at the hotel construction site, Zan concludes his Tranquility Beacon technique, and slowly opens his eyes. He finds himself being gazed at by Bella and Teresa, and they smile wide. They move to huddle closely with Zan, and he puts his arms around them both. Teresa exclaims, "You're so amazing, master!"

Zan gives her a gentle head rub, and holds her close as he replies, "Yeah, well, you all are amazing too, for being able to love me to the point that you can sense my aura from a distance. We'll get through this, girls. Everything will be alright."

Bella, feeling fully rejuvenated by being at the epicenter of the beacon, proclaims, "Heh! Of course it will. This is just a minor setback! We'll regroup and retaliate at the invaders of my home realm for what they've put us through!"

Teresa responds in kind, "Yeah! A minor setback. We've been through worse, right? If we could survive those trips to Midgarde, Neverland, and Geass-Earth, then this is nothing we can't handle!"

Zan is surprised at their brimming confidence, and the Love Icon forms in his cybernetic eye. He chuckles softly, smiling warmly, and pulls the girls into a hug. He kisses Teresa's forehead, and she giggles. He kisses Bella's lips gently, and she blushes slightly. He shifts his gaze between the two, and comments, "That's the confidence I love seeing..."

They stay snuggled together on the roof, and await the arrival of their friends.

After a few moments of beautiful peace, Bella speaks up, "...I wanna tell you something funny." Zan and Teresa look at her, seeing her looking amused. She continues, "Those Kyo clone thugs kind of spoiled it for you, Zan, but they gave me a nickname."

Zan narrows an eye, and asks, "...What was it?"

Bella pulls back to look faux-impressive, and announces, "They call me," using an very overly dramatic tone she finishes, "'Light Slasher'."

Teresa forms a half-amused expression. Zan snerks. He replies, "Oh right, I remember hearing them call you that."

Teresa slightly shakes her head, then asks, "Are you gonna adopt that nickname officially or something?"

Bella looks at her hand, creating a claw of light to look at, and comments, "Maybe I will. I admit, it sounds pretty cool."

Zan smiles in amusement, and states, "Tar Queen Teresa, and Light Slasher Bella."

The two girls grin at each other, and snuggle into Zan again.

~Waypoint 12: Chez Shay Fabrique Petit Reve~

Another half hour passes from Zan's use of the Tranquility Beacon. The sun is very low in the sky now, dusk drawing near, with the sky a vibrant shade of orange. Bella, Teresa and Zan remain snuggled together on the roof, having passed the time just resting and awaiting their friends. Sensing a presence, they open their eyes, and see an airborne figure approaching. It's Chez Shay, with Bridgette behind her on her vacuum cleaner. Bella and Teresa smile brightly, as does Zan, though with more warmth. The three stand up as Chez Shay divebombs in toward them and stops just short of crashing into the roof. She bellows, "Hahaa! Here he is!"

Bridgette practically shrieks, "ZAN!" virtually throws herself off of Chez Shay's transport, and glomps him the next instant. She exclaims, "Oh Zan! I thought you'd been killed! I almost got killed! I lost my stuff, and-" She notices the holes in Zan's hands. "Crap! You lost your stuff too!" she whines.

Chez Shay climbs off her vacuum cleaner and puts it away. She stands there, observing the situation with a narrowed eye. The Beast floats beside her, with a sneer. Bella and Teresa cluster closely with Zan and Bridgette, and simultaneously cry out, "Bridgette! You're ok! Thank goodness!"

Bridgette looks at them, nodding, and, with clear frustration and distress, responds, "Bella! Teresa! This has been one screwed up day!"

Zan whispers, "Bridgette..." This gets her attention, especially when he puts his arms around her. He continues, "I'm ok. Bella and Teresa are ok. Everything's ok now..."

Bridgette clings for a moment, and tries to calm down. She looks up at Zan with desperate eyes, and he returns the expression with a relieved gaze. He then kisses her lips gently. She closes her eyes for the duration, and feels herself calming thanks to becoming engulfed in Zan's love and tranquility. Teresa and Bella smile warmly, while Chez Shay and The Beast look at each other with very amused expressions. When Zan and Bridgette finish their kiss, she backs up just slightly, continuing to hold his arms at least. She looks him over, and rapidly inquires, "Are you hurt, Zan? Is everyone alright?"

Zan rolls his eyes, as he responds, "I WAS hurt... Pretty badly in fact... But circumstances allowed me to recover from it, and as of this moment, I'm back to normal. ...Sans my gear." He looks off to the side in mild annoyance.

Bella looks at his chest, then Bridgette's, then down at her own, and she says, "Like your tie... And mine... And apparently Bridgette's too..." Chez Shay begins to move.

Bridgette becomes distracted by this aberration, and remarks, "...I can understand Zan's tie... But yours and mine are purely decorative... What the heck is that all about?"

Bella and Zan just shrug, shaking their heads. Chez Shay continues to creep along. Teresa speaks up, "I lost my Bejeweled Varkolyn Skull too..." She fidgets with the bow over her chest that keeps her rarely-used hood on her shoulders. Everyone is thoroughly confused by the mysterious absence of ties.

Bridgette notices that everyone is missing their critical equipment, and asks, "What has happened, Zan? Why did everyone get scattered and have their stuff stripped from them?"

Zan's demeanor becomes firm, and he replies, "I believe I may know, now, but before we discuss it, I want to wait for Kira's arrival, so we can pool our information and confirm without any doubt." Chez Shay has moved behind them.

Bella grimaces, and mutters, "Now the anticipation is going to kill me..."

Bridgette, however, has been keeping track of Chez Shay, and remarks, "Speaking of getting killed..." She notices Chez Shay lurking behind Teresa, and points.

Teresa looks over her shoulder, and finds Chez Shay right there in her face, grinning like a lunatic with razor-sharp teeth. Teresa immediately becomes terrified, and looks over her other shoulder to find The Beast doing the same thing. Teresa's pigtails bristle, and she shrieks, "WHO IS THIS?! SHE LOOKS TOO MUCH LIKE THAT SWAMP WITCH!"

Chez Shay zips over to Bella and gives her an equally unnerving grin. Bella, however, just becomes annoyed, and brings a hand up between her face and Chez Shay's. She warns, "Get outta my face you lunatic..."

Chez Shay sniffs, and remarks, "Well YOU haven't changed a bit you smug little cat-fanatic."

Teresa is shivering in fear. Zan, however, isn't afraid either, and speaks up, "Everyone, this is Chez Shay Fabrique Petit Reve, or just 'Chez Shay'. The Bomber Witch of the Eihemland Badlands."

Chez Shay resumes menacing Teresa, who quickly starts to sweat in terror. Chez Shay looks her up and down, pokes a pigtail, tugs at her horizontally-standing pleated skirt, and gives her a sharp-toothed grin. She comments, "Talk about 'petit', who is this tiny little pigtailed thing? I sense dark powers in you, but surely such big things don't come in such... girly packages..."

Teresa, sweating, blurts, "Wh-what?! GO AWAY!" and tries to shove Chez Shay back.

Zan gestures toward Teresa, and calmly says, "That's Teresa, the Tar Witch..."

Before he can continue, Teresa puts her arms akimbo, struggling to look tough, and announces, "Tar QUEEN Teresa! I was a witch, but I'm even greater than that now!"

Chez Shay belts really loudly right into Teresa's face, " **HAH**!"

Teresa flinches, her proud demeanor shattered like glass. She almost crumbles to pieces on the spot, and tears form in her eyes. Zan frowns, and speaks up, "Don't pick on Teresa, please... She's one of the newest members of my Entourage, and-" Chez Shay moves up into Zan's face, her crazy look shifting to one of strong desire, and she comments in a teasing tone tinted with lust, "Your harem just gets ever bigger, Zan..."

The girls promptly become extremely flustered. The Frustration Icon forms in Zan's cybernetic eye, and he responds, "They aren't a harem, Chez Shay..."

She forms that psychotic grin again. "Suuuure. HAHAHAHA! The looks on your faces are priceless! HAHAHAHA!" she taunts.

The Beast chuckles, but hangs back from joining in all of this. Zan stammers for a second, then says, "A-anyway, Chez Shay... Did you help Bridgette?"

Chez Shay snerks rather hard, gives Bridgette a disparaging look, and replies, "'Help her'? I saved her sorry ass!" Bridgette growls, one eye narrower than the other. Chez Shay continues, "You should have seen it! That ant-" "SHUT UP AND LET ME EXPLAIN!" Bridgette shrieks, cutting Chez Shay off.

"Oooo..." Chez Shay goes, backing away, waving her hands "defensively". Bridgette glares at her for a second, then explains, "...I was dumped out over the southern badlands of Eihemland. I'd lost all of my gear, and apparently the invaders in this realm were expecting me. A bunch of thugs jumped me shortly after I'd landed."

Bella narrows her eyes. "Did they call themselves the 'clones of Kyo'?" she asks.

Bridgette just shakes her head, thinking back to that moment with disturbance. She replies, "No, but they were all identical. Short hair, jackets, headbands..."

Bella nods her head with a grimace, and comments, "Definitely the same thugs... The whole region is crawling with them."

Bridgette grunts, then continues, "They were nothing like those Human Genomes though. They clearly had personalities. And they were as annoying as heck. They kept shouting about 'taking me down'." She clutches a fist, producing intense flames that crackle with Volt energy, and grins evilly. "They did NOT expect me to resist their fire powers so intensely. It was THEM who got 'taken down'," she finishes with a proud sneer.

A pall of inadequacy briefly falls over Bella, and she recalls how badly she was trounced by the Kyo clones that jumped her. Teresa, having recovered somewhat from Chez Shay's terrorizing, puts her arms akimbo with an amused look. Chez Shay, however, sniffs, folding her arms, which The Beast imitates in tandem, and she responds, "Sounds like a load of bull-" "SHUT UP," Bridgette once again interrupts.

Before Chez Shay can snap back, Teresa speaks up, "I believe you. Those idiots came after me too, but they never even got close to finding me, much less attacking me. And if they HAD, I'd have just flung tar into their faces. We know what happens when Fire meets with my tar, right? Heh heh heh... I learned a lot from fighting those red dragons back in Neverland."

Bella gives Teresa a mischievously suggestive look, and remarks, "What about that Brachydios and its bomb slime?"

Teresa's eyes go wide, and she grins excitedly as she responds, "Oh yeah! If I didn't already have my Tar Agnaktor, I'd-... ..." Distress befalls her.

Bella realizes what has crossed her mind, and her face falls into the same distressed demeanor, as she says, "...Let me guess... You can't summon your Guardian..."

Teresa becomes upset, and exclaims, "I can't even summon my Uroktors! It's as if they don't even exist!"

Bridgette looks at her hand, feeling detached from the summon realm as well, and is quite disturbed by it, as she comments, "I'm having the same problem... I can't contact my Acklay."

Chez Shay swipes a hand, annoyed by this tangent, and shouts, "You're divulging! Get back to the story! Get to the part where I save your sorry ass!"

Zan gives Chez Shay a gesture to be silent, and calmly says, "That's enough, Chez Shay..."

Chez Shay once again gives a fake reaction of intimidation, going, "Ooooo..." The Beast chuckles, and Chez Shay swats at him, though he dodges and wiggles his arms tauntingly at her. She ends up chasing him around the rooftop of the incomplete hotel.

Bridgette watches her, giving her an extremely aggravated look, and finally resumes, "...Anyway, I drove them and their little robots off, and ended up wandering around the badlands. I'll admit, I did get hit a couple of times, but it was nothing I couldn't deal with. It was that... that ant..." She trails off.

Chez Shay has appeared right beside Bridgette, gripping The Beast by his ears, and he is struggling to escape with grunts and growls. "Ahh yes, the ANT..." Chez Shay says with a malevolent tone.

Bridgette flinches on finding Chez Shay too close for comfort. She gives her a wary look, then turns to face the others as she continues, "...Apparently I'd stumbled upon some kind of nest, because this ant the size of a tiger came charging out of a big mound and started chasing me, and everything I tried couldn't get past its ridiculously thick plating. That thing literally had me in its jaws when this lunatic showed up." She thumbs at Chez Shay.

Chez Shay releases The Beast as she starts gesturing wildly while yammering, "Now for the GOOD part! I came SWOOPING in dynamically, gun a-blazing! The Beast was throwing missiles like there was no tomorrow!"

Zan cuts in, but speaks in a respectful tone, "I know you live in that area, Chez Shay, but what were you doing where Bridgette was?"

She gives him a grin, and gestures dismissively as she replies, "You know I can sense violence. I could sense Bridgette's fighting those thugs, and was drawn to it."

Bella puts a hand over her mouth as she mutters in an undertone, "Like a rabbit-eared moth to a flame."

Chez Shay snaps her head toward Bella as she barks, "WHAT WAS THAT?"

Bella puts her fingers over her head to imitate Chez Shay's rabbit-ear headband. Chez Shay tries to attack Bella, but Zan grabs her to stop her. She promptly gives him a sparkly-eyed gaze over the fact he's touching her, and he sighs. Bridgette squeezes the bridge of her nose, eyes closed tight, as she growls, "Prime she's annoying..."

Teresa, watching all of this and having recovered from being stalked, lets out a sniff that catches their attention. She starts snickering slightly, and says, "I now know who she reminds me of, actually... Master? Lavily Lalula Lu?"

The Astonishment Icon forms in his cybernetic eye, and he lets out a soft groan. He looks at the confused Chez Shay, then at Teresa, then at Chez Shay again, passing a glance over her rabbit doll companion, The Beast, as he does. Finally, he mutters, "...Darn close... Too darn close... All you need is a redder outfit and long lop-ear pigtails..."

Chez Shay stares at him, then at Teresa, then at Zan again, completely unable to understand the reference, unlike The Beast, who has steadily started to laugh. She finally comments, "I don't know who that is... I don't know what that is... ...I'm not going to-SHUT UP!" She barks at The Beast, who is now howling with laughter for some reason.

Bridgette shouts, "ANY-FREAKIN-WAY, yes." She continues with a disparaging tone, rolling her eyes as she speaks, "Chez Shay and her mad bomber rabbit came flying in and blew the giant ant up. We recognized each other right away, and after she INTERROGATED ME..." She throws a glare at Chez Shay, who whistles innocently while not looking at anyone. "She offered to help, because she saw that I was lost and gearless," Bridgette finishes.

Chez Shay then turns her gaze on Zan, her eyes sparkling with love of some sort. "In reality it was so that I could see yooouuu again..." she coos as she gently runs a finger around on Zan's chest. He gets an amused look, but Teresa finds herself slightly perturbed.

She mutters, "Like I said... ever popular..." Bella snickers slightly.

Bridgette watches this for a moment, a flat look on her face, as she wraps up her story, "She flew me in to Eihemland City, but we couldn't find anyone. Those Ki energy beings started showing up along with a small fleet of sky droids, and Chez Shay ended up with her hands full."

Chez Shay starts into a tirade, "Pssh. Target practice. They weren't even worth the bullets I spent on them. I was all like, 'You want something?! YOU WANT SOMETHING?! COME GET SOME!' and started SWOOPING around, bullets flying in every direction. Everything I shot blew up with SPECTACULAR EXPLOSIONS. Bridgette hung on for dear life, tears flowing from her eyes! Those Ki beings fled from me in TERROR. The people below were waving and cheering me on! The incredibly stupid droids kept coming like- like DROIDS TO THE SLAUGHTER! EXPLOSIONS! GUNS BLAZING!" She is practically having a conniption by this point.

Bridgette screams as hard as she can, "CHEZ SHAY SHUT UP ALREADY!"

Chez Shay gives Bridgette a demonic glare as she near-instantly snaps back, "YOU SHUT UP! YOU OWE ME YOUR ASS!"

Bridgette is startled and even she manages to be frightened by the nightmare face Chez Shay gives her. Teresa is residually affected, but Bella just sighs, resting three fingers on her forehead, eyes closed. Zan, however, surprises Chez Shay by resting his hands on her shoulders and takes control of the situation by staying calm. "At any rate, you saved Bridgette, and managed to bring her to us... For that, I thank you..." he says gently, with similarly gentle eyes.

Chez Shay's amazed stare shifts into a sinister little smile, and she grabs Zan's cybernetic ear. She pulls his face against hers in an aggressive mouth-to-mouth kiss. The others just watch, with slightly annoyed/amused looks. Bridgette waits for Chez Shay to end the kiss, then says, "...And just a few minutes ago, we suddenly felt a surge in your Tranquility Aura... She flew here immediately..."

Bella becomes enthusiastic, and explains, "That was a new technique Zan tried. We call it, the 'Tranquility Beacon'. He focused his Tranquility power and broadcasted it to catch the attention of anyone who was compatible with it. I guess you never got a chance to notice, since you seemed to never catch a break, Bridgette, but... Teresa and I, when we had chances to rest, we noticed that even from far away, we could sense Zan's aura. And it lead us to him!" She gives him a loving look, which brings a smile on his face.

Bridgette stares at them for a moment, exhaling slightly audibly. When she thinks back, she realizes that she did feel something all along. Finally she comments, "...I could... I could sense him... But like you said, I never caught a break in those wretched badlands..."

Chez Shay grunts in offense and quickly barks, "HEY! That's my HOME you're talking about!"

Bridgette folds her arms, holding her nose up a bit as she states, "I rest my case."

Chez Shay snarls as she tries to attack Bridgette, but once again Zan holds her back. He promptly speaks up to maintain the conversation, "So I'm hoping that Kira also sensed it. Bella said she overheard that Kira had met up with another witch from this realm, so I'm hoping they're on their way here."

Chez Shay blinks when she learns that there is another Eihemland witch going to be involved, her mind spinning. "I wonder which witch it was that will work with... we... ...SHUT UP," she barks at The Beast again... He is laughing goofily at her.

Bridgette waits a second to let Chez Shay-induced irritation pass, then sincerely asks, "...Zan, you don't know for certain?"

A slightly grim look overtakes him as he explains, "I can't use my long-range sensors... That jamming signal that's preventing everyone from summoning is also preventing me from using any of my communication technology or subdimension skills... Bella, I have to wonder if it would have even blocked Psychic communication and teleportation. It may have not mattered if you had brought a psychic with us."

Bella grimaces, and responds, "I'd actually realized that possibility myself... I was hoping I was wrong, but... We'll never know I guess."

Zan slowly nods, and quietly says, "Yes... So all we can do now is just wait and hope..."

Chez Shay suddenly has a brief moment of clarity, and speaks calmly, "This 'jamming signal'... Do you think it has to do with these foreign invaders in Eihemland?"

The girls are caught off guard by her sudden calmness. Zan, not so much, and he answers, "I have every reason to believe it so. They have obviously been accumulating technology from many different realms, so having a realm-wide jamming signal doesn't seem far fetched."

Chez Shay clearly returns to crazy, again, as she forms a sinister grin and exclaims, "All it takes is a quick BLOWING UP and the matter is resolved, right?!" Her small grin mutates into a psychotic smile of shark-teeth. The Beast imitates this expression.

Zan forms a slightly unnerved look, but responds, "...Depending on the level of resistance, yes..."

Teresa, standing close to Bella now, speaks quietly and timidly to her, "Are we going to have to work with this girl?"

Bella replies equally quietly so as to avoid inciting Chez Shay's lunacy, "Now that she knows Zan is here, we're never going to shake her off... Brace yourself Teresa. Things just got a bit zanier..." Teresa mutters.

Chez Shay blinks, thinking of something within the... whatever state her mind is always in, and asks, "Who is this 'Kira' you're talking about?"

Zan looks off into space as his thoughts turn toward Kira, whom he values as preciously as the others, and genuinely feels some worry for her. He answers, "Another newcomer to my Entourage as of eight weeks."

"Haaareeem..." Chez Shay taunts, raising the ire of the others. That is, until they flinch when Zan snaps, "She's ELEVEN," with the Anger Icon forming in his cybernetic eye for just a second.

Chez Shay especially flinches, realizing the possible implications of such a thing, and even she knows how wrong they are, so she redirects the subject, "...Oh. And pigtails?"

Zan goes calm again, and answers, "Over two hundred..."

Chez Shay just about collapses from laughter, frustrating Teresa. Bridgette forces the subject onto the primary track now, and says, "Well right now the invaders still have the upper hand, but our numbers are recovering quickly... All we need to do is wait for Kira and her friend to arrive, and we'll be good to go, right?"

Zan slowly nods, and replies, "Right." He looks at Chez Shay warily, and remarks, "...If we can survive for that long..."

The others mutter agreements. Chez Shay stares at them, tilts her head quizzically, and chirps, "What?" They sigh. The Beast snerks.

~Waypoint 13: Unity and Evaluation~

Bridgette moves close to Zan again, and takes one of his hands. He watches as she checks the insides of the holes, a hint of curiosity on her face. After a second of examining them, she looks up at him as she asks, "When's the last time you removed your Plasma Cells, Zan?"

Zan rubs the back of his head with his free hand. "Almost never ago, I'd say. I feel inadequate without them..." he mutters.

Noticing this curiosity, Chez Shay moves close to check this out too, annoying Bridgette, who, along with Zan, blinks, when she kneels to look at Zan's feet as well. She remarks, "Whoa. Your feet have holes in them too. What is up with that?"

Bella rolls her eyes, as she mumbles, "I wonder how many more times Zan is going to have to explain that..."

Zan watches the girls examine him, then looks closer at his own hand hole. He grimaces, and says, "...I didn't even realize those things could be removed from me against my will. I'm going to have to talk to someone about having some kind of security measure put in place. I do NOT want to have to experience this feeling of depowerment again."

Chez Shay stands up and looks at him with an extremely suggestive look through the tops of her eyes. "I bet it feels like you're naked," she teases, with a sharp grin.

The girls blush slightly. Zan, however, returns the comment with one of his own, "...Well how would you feel if someone stole your Gunbrella right from your hands?"

Chez Shay and The Beast form frightening grins. "I'd strangle 'em with my bare hands, that's how I'd feel," she growls, maintaining the deadly grin.

The girls try to turn their attention away from the conversation. This proves easier than expected when Chez Shay and The Beast suddenly freeze, and look in the direction of town. She shouts, "Someone is coming!" "I HEAR FIGHTING," The Beast adds with a snarl.

The Alarm Icon forms in Zan's cybernetic eye, and he brings a hand to his cybernetic temple for a second. He quickly says, "Someone from Amethytus just entered my detection range." The sensation of approaching attack shots directs his attention, and he points with a shout, "...Look out!"

Everyone jumps to the side to avoid stray energy bolts that come flying in to strike the roof. They look, and see Kira and Lyla flying toward them, with seven Scout Drones and a Formless Kiman in aggressive pursuit. Lyla looks terrified, while Kira is on her hands and knees, gripping the carpet, with her fierce expression still plastered across her face. Sasha is staying close to Lyla and flying backwards, keeping up with Lyla's carpet. Sasha is creating and releasing large floating bombs that glide just a bit too slowly toward the enemies. They give these bombs wide berth however, and for good reason, as they explode with a loud pop after flying off a moderate distance. On seeing them, Bella's group's eyes widen, and she exclaims, "Kira! ...And... Lyla...?" She narrows an eye with a hint of disdain.

Chez Shay narrows her eyes with a scary smile, and adds, "Plus guests. UNWELCOME GUESTS!" She immediately, dynamically draws her Gunbrella, swinging it out to aim at the enemies pursuing Kira and Lyla, letting out a shout of aggression.

Bella responds to this by drawing her Compression Phaser Rifle, inspiring Zan to ready his Pulse Rifle. "Open fire!" Bella cries.

Chez Shay, The Beast, Zan and Bella start firing at the enemies with their guns, making great effort to avoid shooting Kira and Lyla. Bridgette clutches her hands into fists, which crackle with Volt energy. Teresa yelps when one of the shots from a droid nearly strikes her, jumping out of the way in fright. The droids try to dodge the return fire, the Formless Kiman takes them in stride, and they focus their attacks on those who are fighting back, firing upon the group with a blitz of energy bolts. Amidst the exchange of projectiles, Lyla's carpet settles close to the structure roof, and Kira jumps off. She scampers over to Zan, while Lyla's carpet rises back up into the air. Lyla cries out, "You mean robots! Go away!" and takes out a pair of empty ring-style Tambourines.

She starts to shake them with rapid wrist twisting, and they release a very wide, rapid-fire spray of energy bolts that look strangely like wood. Every enemy in the air before the group gets barraged by the shots, causing them to panic. The damage is minor, but the huge spray is intimidating. Zan turns his attention to the Formless Kiman, and focuses his fire on that enemy. As he rapidly fires his Pulse Rifle, he looks at Bella and shouts, "Bella! Like before!" She nods with an affirmative grunt, and responds, "I got it!"

She shifts her Compression Phaser Rifle into stream fire mode, and focuses the energy on the Formless Kiman's face. It retaliates by flinging bolts of energy, but can't aim very well due to the loss of its vision. Zan focuses his fire on its chest, and the enemy begins to destabilize. The droids swarm about, trying to avoid the storm of projectiles coming their way, and continue firing upon the group. Yet again, one of their shots zips past Teresa's head, and she shrieks in fright. In automatic reaction, she thrusts a hand to cast out a Tar Blob, which manages to hit the droid that nearly shot her. She flinches the next moment, when she realizes what she just did. Zan notices this too, and observes her reaction as she looks at her hands, realizing that she is indeed capable of using her Sludge element even without her scepter. She slowly forms a smirk, and her confidence rises, especially now that she is reunited with her friends and has discovered that she isn't completely helpless, even without her scepter. The droid she hit becomes blind, and wobbles around, unable to do anything. Chez Shay sprays bullets from her Gunbrella, and The Beast flings his big missiles at the droids. Sasha's bombs start coming into contact with them now that they are distracted by the huge spray of shots from Lyla's Tambourines. One of the droids explodes from a bomb blast, and is destroyed, followed almost immediately by another going up in a blast from The Beast's missiles. Kira stands by Zan. Her brow furrowed, her lips pinched, she finds herself extremely frustrated by the fact she's the only person here who literally cannot do anything. Even Teresa has managed to counter-attack, and Kira gives her an angry look that Teresa doesn't notice. Subconsciously, Kira is drawn to stay close to Zan, and does not notice as she unconsciously grips his jacket. But as she watches him fight, she spots the holes in his hands, and her eyes shrink slightly in shock and concern. She says nothing, however, but realizes that this is why Zan is using a gun instead of throwing Plasma projectiles.

The droids maintain their efforts to return fire, and one of them manages to strike Bridgette, causing her to yelp. She snarls, and raises her hands up, producing large currents of electricity between her arms. With a shriek, she thrusts her hands forward, and fires a big yellow blast of electricity. The moment it hits one of the droids, it arcs off of it into a second, then a third, then a fourth droid, severely damaging all four of them, in an attack known as Chain Lightning. The Formless Kiman explodes in a lovely blue blast the next instant, and the most heavily damaged droid explodes shortly after from the barrage of projectiles from Lyla and Chez Shay. The tar-blinded droid, now on fire from Bridgette's lightning having ignited the tar covering it, is firing shots at random, and ends up shooting one of its own companions, causing that droid to drop out of the air and crash into a stack of metal pilings. Teresa laughs at this, and focuses. She draws up some more power for yet another small blob of tar, and flings it. This one misses, and she scowls, but the last three droids cannot take any more damage anyway. Chez Shay's bullets bring the last three down nearly one right after the other in a series of small blasts, pieces of the droids scattering off.

Chez Shay rests her Gunbrella on her shoulder and lets out a triumphant laugh of wickedness. The Beast emulates this laugh. Bridgette, Bella, Teresa and Zan ease up, and give Chez Shay a wary look. Lyla sighs in relief, and looks at Sasha, who nods. They look at Zan's group, and come down to them. Lyla moves to sit on the edge of her carpet, and shyly says, "Oh... It's Zan and friends. I'm so glad I found you..."

Bella, however, does not seem to care for Lyla much, and gives her a scornful look as she responds, "Lyla, hey..." She quickly turns her attention to Kira, but stays quiet when she sees how angry the girl is. Lyla forms a sad little look at the weak reception.

Teresa stays by Bella for the moment, wary of Kira's anger, her thoughts also half distracted by having discovered that she can tap into her latent power. Bridgette is less afraid, and stays close to Zan and Kira, looking at her. Chez Shay stays where she is, laughing like a maniac still. Zan looks down at Kira with gentle eyes, and softly says, "Kira..."

Kira looks up at Zan with a severely annoyed expression. "Zan... I TOLD YOU SO," she belts.

Zan's gentle eyes sadden slightly, and he responds, "I know, Kira, I know..." He kneels to get to eye-level with her, resting his hands on her shoulders, and tenderly asks, "Are you ok, Kira?"

She folds her arms, maintaining a tough, angry demeanor, and replies, "I'm fine, Zan. I've had droids on my ass since I got here, but I'm fine."

Zan smiles softly, the Love Icon in his cybernetic eye. "That is very good to hear, my Little Ki..." he whispers, and embraces Kira, causing her eyes to widen, and one of them twitches.

Kira grunts, "Ngh..." in surprise at the hug and the nickname, but immediately conceals her surprise as she closes her eyes and boasts, "Well it's not like those pathetic imitation Sentinels were of any real danger to me."

Bridgette, Teresa and Bella smile slightly at the sight. Lyla gets a cute little smile. Chez Shay finally starts paying attention. Zan chuckles, still embracing Kira, and responds quietly, "I'm glad... I was worried about you..." He ends the hug, looks at her eye to eye and says, "Everyone's lost their gear, and I can see you have too, so I was worried..."

Bella looks up and to the side as she speaks up, "I wasn't." "Me either," Teresa echoes.

Kira narrows an eye, grits her teeth, and snarls, "I figured you jerks wouldn't care."

Bella folds her arms, giving Kira a resolute look, and replies, "Actually, I had complete confidence you would be able to handle yourself. THAT'S why I wasn't worried." She smirks, with a snagglefang. Teresa puts her arms akimbo and adds, "Same here."

Kira is caught off guard by this, and falls silent, flashing just a brief look of surprise, but immediately covers it with a sneer and puts her arms akimbo too. She speaks with a tone that devolves into strong irritation, "In THAT case, it's good to see that my reputation precedes me. This is still one lame mission however. All of my stuff, gone just like that because someone figured out how to hack the Interspacial Causeway! My friggen CONTOUR BARRIER was taken! And they even managed to snag my Ether Blob! How the heck could they pull him away from me when I didn't even have him summoned?!"

Bella subconsciously brought a hand to her head when Kira mentioned that her Ether Blob had been taken from her. She replies, "I lost a companion too, you know... My little kitty... I wonder how she's doing right now..?" She becomes pensive.

Kira sniffs with disdain, and responds, "Oh right, like I'd actually be worried about my Ether Blob. That's not the point!" She grows angrier as she glowers at Bella and snaps, "YOU are to blame for this!" Bella pulls back in alarm, and Kira thrusts a pointer finger with each emphasis, "YOU should have anticipated this with that elaborate vision of yours. YOU are the team leader and should be held responsible! Everyone's at such an extreme disadvantage because of YOUR IDIOCY! 'Don't need more than five people' you said! 'It'll be quick and easy' you said! You should have at LEAST brought a psychic!" She pants, fuming intensely. Bella has formed tears in the corners of her eyes. Even Teresa looks pretty distressed at the hurling of accusations.

Bridgette is about ready to slap Kira, when Zan grips Kira's shoulder, causing her to freeze and fall silent. She looks at him, and he looks back with a mix of compassion and firm disapproval. He has a strong frown, which is frightening for everyone present, since Zan is known for his patience and good cheer. With a very stern tone akin to an angry father, he speaks, "Bella could not have anticipated this in any way whatsoever, Kira. She does indeed lack the experience, which is what a challenge like this will prove beneficial for. But BECAUSE of that lack of experience, not she, nor even I, could have expected an enemy as having the ability to 'hack' the Interspacial Causeway as you say they have. I didn't even know such a thing could be done. So you can't heap all of the blame on Bella. If anything, I am partially at fault for not properly securing the Causeway against invasive actions. There is no way we could have avoided this. And we have already figured out that having a psychic with us may not have helped, since the enemy that did this to us seems to also have the entire region locked down under a powerful jamming signal. Have you not noticed that you can't summon your Guardian?" Kira flinches when she hears this. Zan, looking around at everyone with a gesture of his free hand, continues, "Everyone is in a suppressed state because of the enemy. It is clear we are dealing with an advanced foe that we failed to estimate the strength of. And, in the end, the blame game serves to only demoralize everyone. You need to let this go, and work on a way to recover from it, as Bella, Teresa, Bridgette and I have. Do you understand?" He gives her another strong frown.

Kira lets out a soft, slightly frightened, yet clearly astonished exhale, as she stares at him, noting how rare it is to see him with such a stern look. Eventually she responds, "...Yeah... I do... But I WON'T APOLOGIZE for what I just said!" She huffs, folding her arms again and looking away.

Zan has already dropped the stern appearance and just rolls his eyes with an amused smile. The girls also have similar expressions. Bella and Teresa feel a little better, having seen Zan defend Bella from Kira's anger. The Beast floats close to Chez Shay, and mutters, "FIERCE LITTLE KITTY..."

"She might actually be angrier than I am..." Chez Shay mutters back, amazed at the sight of a lecture from the good-natured Byzantian Fandango.

Kira notices Chez Shay at this point, and says, "Who the hell is that?" Zan squeezes her shoulder ever so slightly, and she yelps, not out of pain, but rather alarm, "Ngh! ...Who the... heck, is that?"

Zan gestures with an open hand toward Chez Shay and The Beast, as he introduces them, "Chez Shay Fabrique Petit Reve, the Bomber Witch of the Badlands of Eihemland, and her minion, The Beast. ...And for those here - you and Teresa, who are unfamiliar - this is Lyla, the Desert Witch of the southern sand continent of Arctauras, and her companion, Sasha." Realizing that he hasn't properly addressed them yet, he focuses his attention on the two and speaks respectfully, "Thank you, very much, Lyla, for saving Kira and bringing her here."

Kira's face explodes into angry hysteria as she shouts, "SHE DID NOT SAVE-" "You... you're very welcome, dear Zan..." Lyla interjects with a blush, causing Kira to snarl. Lyla promptly looks away with a shy little smile, and adds, "It wasn't anything special at all... I just tried to help..."

Kira sniffs, and remarks, "Tried is right..."

They flinch when Lyla shrieks. Chez Shay is right in her face, giving her a creepy smile as she examines her. "H-h-hello..?" Lyla stammers in pure terror.

Chez Shay's smile expands into a terrifying grin, as she responds with a dark tone, "Hello..." She tilts her head forward to shadow her eyes, keeping them locked on Lyla, as she adds, "Is that affection for Zan I sense in you, too?" Lyla just stares, paralyzed with terror, shivering uncontrollably. Sasha retreats into her oil lamp shell with a frightened yelp.

Chez Shay snickers evilly, then looks at Zan and winks. She runs a finger across her lips and points that finger at him. The others flinch, and Zan just tilts his head slightly with a soft little smile. He sighs and closes his eyes for a moment to take a breath. Everyone notices this, and looks at him, Lyla calming down slightly when Chez Shay's attention is diverted. Zan finally opens his eyes, revealing a joyous expression, as he proclaims, "Everyone is together again. For the record, I want to let you all know that I am REALLY RELIEVED to see this." The girls chuckle, and Zan continues, "Now, it's time for a rundown on everything that happened. Bella?"

Bella grins, and exclaims, "Campfire!"

Bridgette blinks, gives Bella a baffled look, and comments, "What is this, NCIS? You are definitely not DiNozzo."

Bella rolls her eyes, but is still excited, as she replies, "Whatever. Everyone gather around."

The group does so, forming a circular gathering. Teresa and Bridgette stay close to Zan, Bella is next to Teresa, Kira by Bridgette, and Chez Shay and a very nervous Lyla closing the circle at the other end, with The Beast and Sasha floating close to their mistresses' heads. Zan blinks when Kira points at him rather suddenly, and speaks first, "I'm going to go ahead and ask... Zan, what happened to you exactly?" She adjusts her point to aim at his empty hand slots.

Zan shakes his head, and says, "Before I start... Here." He proceeds to extract from his personal pocket dimension the food Hannah gave him, causing the others to stare in surprise. He sets them down within the group's circle, and explains, "A woman who was part of a group that helped us earlier gave us some food, and since I don't actually need to eat, I stored my share for you two, since you must be hungry. Kira, Bridgette..."

Kira stares at the food, picks up and checks over the sandwich, and pries it open slightly. "What is this... Ham?" she remarks with curiosity.

Bridgette holds up the other food item as she also remarks, "An omelette? It's late evening!"

Zan smiles humorously as he replies, "I joked about that too. She said, 'food's food, no matter when you eat it'."

Chez Shay reaches for Kira's sandwich as she shouts, "I'LL take it if you don't want it!"

Kira quickly pulls the sandwich out of range, snaps, "Screw that," and bites into the sandwich, discouraging Chez Shay from stealing it, and putting a scowl on her face.

Bridgette smiles at Zan, grateful regardless, and says, "Thank you, Zan." She starts to eat the omelette, willing to use her hands, since she really has no choice.

Zan adds, "And, this," as he holds out a bottle of milk, causing Kira to nearly choke on her sandwich.

"GOOD LORD, GIVE IT," she blurts, and snatches the bottle from him. She promptly chugs the milk, her eyes widening when she discovers how good it tastes. When she finishes, she exhales hard, and for just a moment, she looks extremely happy.

Zan stares, his hand still in the holding-out position, his flesh eye twitching just slightly, his mouth hanging open, as he groans, "...Uhh..."

Bridgette snickers, noting that Zan didn't intend for Kira to consume the entire thing, and says, "It's ok, Zan. Let her have the milk."

Zan nods. Kira hands him the empty bottle, but he doesn't accept it, letting her keep it instead. She shrugs, and stores it. Lyla looks at Sasha. They ate before they left home, so they are content. Chez Shay looks a little hungry now, however, at seeing the others eat. Bella and Teresa watch with amusement. After a couple of minutes to give Bridgette and Kira time to finish the food, Zan begins, "Now, as to what happened... When everyone was separated, my gear was stripped from me much the same as you all. You had said your Ether Blob was taken from you, so it seems that the enemy was able to manipulate the Causeway to extract even intimate personal items from us. My Plasma Cells were ripped from their sockets... Bella's cat-hat was taken... Teresa's Bejeweled Varkolyn Skull was swiped... Bridgette?" He gives her a look requesting confirmation.

She tilts her head passively, and replies, "I wasn't carrying anything personal with me, so... I guess I lost out the least." She forms a smug little smirk.

The others form flat looks, including Zan, and he continues, "...Right, well, once I'd been hit by another one of those reverb waves, I was dumped out in a field of rocks... and landed square on my head on a large stone..." Bridgette and Teresa gasp and promptly check his head.

Bridgette runs a hand down his cybernetic ear while Teresa touches the flesh half of his head. The latter comments, "Is THAT why you were so dizzy when we found each other at the windmill? That's terrible! I'm so, so glad that superfarmer wife had such strong healing powers."

Zan smiles warmly, rests his hands on their shoulders to calm them down, and responds, "Heh... Yeah, I'm ok now, thankfully..." They remain fearful for a little bit, while he continues, "My autorepairs were engaged for a while, and I don't remember much of what happened until I started to move toward the farm for cover. Bella can tell us what happened after that." He nods at her.

She nods back, and says, "I got dumped in downtown Eihemland... I got chased all over the city by Kyo clones." Kira grunts in annoyance on hearing this. Bella gives her an agreeing look, and resumes, "I managed to find Zan by following his Tranquility Aura even at a distance."

Teresa chimes in, "Me too! No matter how far away I was, I could still sense him..."

Lyla mutters quietly, "Tranquility... Aura..." She does not realize she's gazing at Zan, and says, "I love tha-" She notices she's being looked at by the others, and stared at by a grinning Chez Shay. She groans, "Nnn..." and goes quiet, blushing again and avoiding eye contact.

Bella gives her a dull look, then turns her focus on the others as she continues, "He was at this really huge farm inhabited by this ridiculous team of 'superfarmers'."

Teresa snarks with a tone of contempt, "That's what you get when you cross country bumpkins with super powers. It was mortifying."

Bella huffs with amusement, and continues, "But they were on our side, and helped us with fighting our pursuers, healing us of our injuries, and giving us food, which you've benefited from too. Once we were finished resting, we headed here, where Zan tried out a new technique!"

Teresa grins with pride, arms folded, and she says with admiring eyes, "I'd say it worked perfectly, wouldn't you?"

Bella nods. "Definitely. That's what happened to me. Teresa?" she says as she passes the turn.

Teresa blinks, and just like that her confidence sinks when a peculiar thought crosses her mind, putting a grimace on her face. She finally says, "...My story's boring, so I won't bother."

Bella gives her a curious look, leans slightly closer, and asks, "Something happened between you and a crab, right?"

Teresa quickly shouts with dismissive gestures of both hands, "N-no! Nothing happened between me and a crab! Drop it and move on!"

Zan looks at Teresa with slight worry as she behaves like this. When she tries very hard to put her proud front back up, he takes the next turn, "...Well, evidently Bridgette got chased by a giant ant, so the fauna of this realm seems to have it out for us too." He gives Teresa a careful look, she avoids eye contact for a while, and Zan continues to observe her.

Bridgette, equally disturbed by whatever happened to her, comments, "I don't ever want to do that again."

Zan finally changes the attention, focusing on Kira, and she notices right away. She frowns, and he says, "Kira, what happened to you?"

Kira rests her chin in a hand, takes on an apathetic demeanor, and rants, "Meh. I got dropped in that big sprawling forest that Bella touted as being _so wonderful_. Have you actually BEEN there recently? The place is overgrown with animated vines and weird pod plants that SHOOT AT YOU. I got all tangled up in the da- ...friggen things, but they couldn't hold me forever. I managed to find some kind of old, vine-covered research tower filled with... interesting research material. I didn't get a chance to check it out before some thugs in jackets and those lame-ass Sentinel wannabes came after me. I kicked their asses."

Lyla groans, "Umm..." causing Kira to click her tongue in annoyance, and remark, "Yeah, and little miss floaty-pants here came along around that time too to help me fight them."

Lyla timidly corrects, "Or, rather... we arrived in the middle of the fight to find Kira dodging like a cute little monkey more than anything." She gives Kira a weak smile.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?" Kira snarls, causing Lyla and Sasha to cower a little. Kira glowers at her for a second, then finishes, "So yeah, they helped, and we managed to drive the enemies off."

Bella, feeling dismayed again, looks off into the distance and mutters, "Was I really the only one who had to run from those guys?"

Teresa, willing to set aside a little pride to help her friend feel better, says, "I will admit, I had to run a little, too."

Zan, however, adds, "...As did I," and gets stared at. He returns the stares for a moment, and responds, "...What? I was dizzy as all get out, and could barely shoot my Pulse Rifle straight. Don't feel bad, any of you. This was an ambush, more or less."

Kira grumps, and continues, "Still... We had just finished wiping out the foes when you gave off whatever that signal was of yours that lead us to you."

Zan forms a pleased expression, as he replies, "A new technique that I will definitely document when I get home... It will be useful for situations similar to this."

Chez Shay lets out an enormous and noisy yawn, which prompts Bella and Teresa to snicker. When Chez Shay glares at them, they shut up, but pass amused glances at each other. Lyla tries to avoid looking at Chez Shay, and, really everyone, as she timidly speaks, "An ambush... Oh, if only I had gotten to you all sooner! ...I... ...I knew this was going to happen."

Everyone flinches, and stares at Lyla very intensely, frightening her. Teresa responds, "...Wait, wait?"

Lyla shyly looks around at everyone as she explains, "I had a dream last night that something like this would happen... Kira, here, was the focal point of my dream, and it was what lead me to her... I'm sorry, Kira, I should have acted sooner... I failed..." She looks away in despair.

Kira's stare turns into a glare as she starts, "I'll say-" "No, Lyla, you still helped," Zan gently interjects, giving Kira pause. "Kira would have had a much harder time if you hadn't arrived at all..." he adds.

Lyla turns her eyes to Zan in a sweet look as she whispers, "Ok... Thank you..."

Teresa's stare converts into curiosity as she inquires, "So you... had a dream? A premonition?"

Lyla nods. "Mm-hmm... I can sense when big things are going to happen through my dreams... This one, though, was very vivid... More so than what I'd normally have..." she speaks with a tone of wondering.

Teresa finds herself admittedly impressed, and responds, "Oooo... That's a rare ability!"

Zan has taken on a thoughtful demeanor. "It might be possible that your sense of premonition was influenced by the intense Interdimensional Static exploitation in this realm. Your dreams are probably connected to the Dimensional Wavelength Stream," he speculates.

While this is difficult for the others to understand, Kira clearly gets it, and replies, "That's the only explanation that would make sense."

Zan gently gestures at Lyla, so as to avoid intimidating her. "You said you had it last night?" he asks.

"Yes... Well... Early this morning, when I tend to have my dreams," Lyla responds with a soft tone of respect, just barely able to make eye contact with him.

Zan turns his eyes away, lets out a soft, inciteful hum, and, while clearly thinking deeply, mutters, "...And with the time differentials between this realm and Staveltess... That would put it right around the time when Bella had her bout of D.A.D."

Chez Shay blinks on hearing the acronym, imagines something strange in the warped realm of her mind, and comments, "She fought with her father?"

Kira quickly reacts with exasperation as she responds, "Dimensionally Associated Distress, you idiot."

Chez Shay narrows her eyes at the insult, and says, "Oh yay, more super-technical crap." Then she points at Kira threateningly, and growls, "And if you call me an 'idiot' one more time," her expression darkens into a demonic look, "I will HAND you your ass."

Kira prepares to retaliate, unafraid, when Bridgette grabs Kira's arm. Kira yanks it free and glares at Bridgette, who returns the glare with one just as intense. Zan grows distressed by the rising tensions, and pleads, "Come on, girls... We need to work TOGETHER on this."

Teresa enthusiastically speaks up, "Yeah! Stop fighting! I'll keep the conversation going! Master, do you want to tell us what you think is going on now that you've heard our stories?"

Zan notices the others settle down a little at the prospect of hearing this, and acknowledges, "I do. I still need some absolute confirmation, but I think I know who is responsible for this entire incident. I've been wracking my memory to find a match to Bella's description of the long-haired man she saw in her dream, and when I saw those 'clones of Kyo Kusanagi' guys attacking, I realized the only likely enemy faction: NESTS."

The girls murmur. Some are familiar with the group, others are not. Taking note of this, Zan explains with a firm tone, "They exist primarily in a realm that is a direct neighbor to Eihemland, due to both existing on one particular Centralverse. It would seem that NESTS has taken advantage of the damage to the Multiverse and is exploiting Interdimensional Static to gather technology and invade other realms. At least, at this point they have started invading. I'll need to learn more, but at least we know who we're dealing with."

"How dangerous are they, master?" Teresa inquires with a hint of worry.

Zan frowns, giving her, then the others a dark look, as he speaks, "Quite. They are, more or less, a terrorist organization with goals of world domination. Seems one world is not enough, and they've started to reach out to other worlds. They have no idea, obviously, of the catastrophic damage this could cause."

Kira looks up at the night sky, generally looking at the space they came into this realm through, and says, "So when we came in to this realm, they probably detected us and tried to stop us, huh?"

Zan maintains his grim tone, as he replies, "That seems most likely. Their technology was remarkably advanced even before they started stealing from other realms. I wouldn't put this past them."

Bella's resolve grows, however, as she announces, "Then all the more reason to put a stop to this invasion! Now that we're back together again, we can-" "OH REALLY?!" bellows the wild voice of a man who suddenly drops down onto the roof near the group, causing them to jump in surprise and look at him. The man essentially looks the same as the Kyo clones, but for some dark differences, including black pants and jacket. His skin is a charred blackish-brown, and his eyes glow solid red at all times. He also has a more maniacal look on his face, often grinning with a psychotic look almost as bad as Chez Shay's.

"YA REALLY," The Beast quickly retorts.

A dozen Kyo clones, and just as many Attack Drones, a slightly more powerful variant of the Scout Drone, arrive the next instant, leaping or swooping up from below to form a crowd on the roof. Chez Shay instantly jumps to her feet, mimicking the dark-skinned man's expression, as she shouts, "Freakin' FINALLY! HAHAHA! Now the fun begins anew!" "FIGHT TIME. HEEAAAW!" The Beast snarls excitedly.

Kira grits her teeth, and a pair of crossing blood vessels bulge on her forehead. She growls, "Ergh..." while Teresa whimpers, "M-meep... How did they find us?!" She shifts closer to Zan.

Lyla and Sasha cower at the sight of the enemy gang. Bridgette clutches her fists, causing them to tremble with Voltage. Bella glowers, but is nervous. Chez Shay and The Beast are ready to go. The Anger Icon forms in Zan's cybernetic eye. The evil man wildly taunts, "Have fun TRYING, girlies! HAHAHA!"

Zan maintains his composure even as the girls slowly brace themselves for a fight. He says, "...So, here we have a commander of the Kyo clones: Kusanagi, one of the few clones created through methods other than normal science." He stands up, looking very tense, and adds, "NESTS is indeed the perpetrator of this invasion."

Kusanagi sticks his head forward with a mean sneer as he chides, "What a brilliant deduction, genius. NESTS OWNS Eihemland now!"

Bella blinks, and as she carefully climbs to her feet with Zan, she comments, "I saw a news report that the leadership change won't take place until the end of this week!"

Kusanagi rolls his head and a hand dismissively as he responds, "Politics to keep the people at bay. We've already got the entire royal council under our control." Suddenly, he thrusts an arm to point, and all of the Kyo clones and Attack Drones ready themselves. He shouts, "And you all are threatening our plan! It's time we ended this little intrusion! Attack!"

The Kyo clones and Attack Drones rush toward the group. The girls jump to their feet in response. Zan quickly and quietly says, "Direct us, Bella Chimes..."

Bella emits an affirmative grunt and nods sharply. "Zan! You like fighting the leaders! Attack Kusanagi!" she orders.

Zan grins, his cybernetic eye shifting to the Determination Icon, and he launches himself over the Kyo clones to attack Kusanagi directly. Even without his Plasma Cells, his agility is now back to maximum, and high jumps are not beyond his ability. He just can't scale buildings. Kusanagi flinches, and three Kyo clones skid to a stop when they see Zan come flying over their group, through the droids, and down at Kusanagi. The Kyo clones track him as he goes, then turn to go after him, while a number of the droids shoot at him mid-leap. Most of the shots miss, though the few that hit he takes in stride, due to the average power of the shots.

Bella continues making orders, "Chez Shay, Kira, Lyla, deal with the Kyo clones!" This causes Kira to grit her teeth as she growls, "Grr..." Lyla yelps in fright, "Wh-what?!"

Sasha stammers in terror, "Oh no! Oh no! Oh no!" The Beast, however, chatters in excitement, "OH YEZ! OH YEZ! OH YEZ!"

Laughing like a lunatic, Chez Shay pulls out her vacuum cleaner, hops aboard, and takes to the air, zooming toward the Kyo clones with a wild-eyed look of doom. Right away the nine Kyo clones skid to a stop on seeing this, and half of them are frightened. The droids, though are unaffected, and some start shooting at her immediately.

Bella dramatically finishes, "Bridgette, Teresa, help me fend off those droids!"

Bridgette sneers, feeling fully confident in her elemental abilities, exclaims, "I've HAD my practice!" and builds Voltage in her arms, causing her entire form to crackle and spark.

Teresa also sneers, and announces, "Behold the power of the three most powerful Kinetics of Amethytus!" She raises a fist, then realizes she doesn't have her scepter, and flinches. She grunts in disturbance, "Ngh..."

Bella notices this, and responds, "Might as well start your gearless Kinetics training now! You can do it, Teresa!" She gives her a valiant look.

Teresa's confidence is restored a little, she nods, then gives the droids a determined look. Bridgette casts forth a Lightning bolt to strike one of the droids right away for the first shot. Bella opens fire with her Compression Phaser Rifle immediately after. Teresa begins to focus, to conjure up the power needed to use her Sludge or Death elements skills without her scepter. The remaining droids return fire on Bridgette and Bella.

Zan, wielding his Pulse Rifle in his left hand, starts his attack rush on Kusanagi by bringing his free fist down at his opponent at the end of his approaching leap. Kusanagi is struck hard and is knocked over, though he flips to his feet amidst the impact of the attack and immediately counters with a hard, flaming left hook. Zan drops below this attack and swings his Pulse Rifle upwards to smack Kusanagi in the chin with it, his head jolting back. The moment Kusanagi brings his head back up straight, he glowers, and barks, "You bastard! Fight me with your bare hands!"

Zan blinks, looks at his rifle, and strangely calmly responds, "Oh. Ok." He stores his Pulse Rifle, briefly surprising Kusanagi, who then smirks. Zan imitates the smirk as he takes on a fighting stance and comments, "I wasn't planning to shoot you with that anyway."

Zan suddenly performs a sweep kick while still crouched, simultaneously smacking away an energy bolt from one of the Attack Drones, and Kusanagi is flipped into the air, but he lands on one hand and slams both feet down on Zan, flattening him against the structure roof with such force that it shakes slightly. Zan is stunned briefly, and remembers that he needs to be more careful in this fight, without his Contour Barrier. The three Kyo clones move in, and one of them casts a Dark Thrust at Zan. Sensing it coming, he pushes himself into the air, the flame sliding by and exploding on impact with one of the metallic upright support studs attached to the side of the roof level. This destroys its attachment point, making the stud break free completely and drop to the ground below with a loud crash. The other two Kyo clones rush in to attack Zan during his descent, as he blocks shots from the droids. One Kyo clone leaps for a twirling, flaming uppercut. But Zan blocks this in mid-air, grabs the attacker, knees him in the gut, and flings him at the Kyo clone who flung the sliding flame attack. The droids in the flight path dodge the human projectile, and the Kyo clones both crash down from the dead-weight impact. "Eat this!" Kusanagi shouts, building up flames, and throws a punch, casting forth a huge, blazing orange fireball at Zan.

The reaction of throwing the opponent pushes Zan back into the air a little, giving him time to see the fireball flying at him. He forces himself into a mid-air dodge flip, the flames singeing him slightly, a couple droid shots nailing him additionally, and the fireball flies onward, where it strikes a portable toilet down on the ground, which explodes with strangely intense violence. Zan lands the next moment, and flinches when a Kyo clone makes a short hop at him to slam both flaming fists down on him. Zan is hit, winces, and yelps from the pain, which isn't something he's used to. Kusanagi comes sliding in the next moment in a flaming baseball slide, popping Zan into the air again, and Kusanagi leaps to grab him. Kusanagi is surprised when Zan punches him square in the face, and he returns the favor, making the mistake of punching the cybernetic half of Zan's face. His eyes widen, and he flicks his hand in pain as he exclaims, "Ow! Geez! Your skull's harder than mine!"

Zan just smirks and slams the cybernetic half of his forehead into Kusanagi's face. He yelps, and the two crash to the ground. Zan promptly thrusts himself off of Kusanagi, and finds himself surrounded by the three Kyo clones, with the droids all building shot charges. Kusanagi flips to his feet, finds blood flowing from his nose, and wipes it away. He gives Zan a smug look, however, and taunts, "Not bad. Not bad at all. Too bad you'll still never survive this to find our base at the castle!"

He and the other three Kyo clones build up huge amounts of flame, preparing to blast Zan from all sides. But then the structure shudders violently from the fight taking place between Chez Shay and the Kyo clones, making everyone standing at the moment stagger uncontrollably, which briefly distracts the airborne droids.

When Chez Shay rushes toward the Kyo clones, she starts the fight with her terrorizing demeanor, and The Beast lets out a high-pitched roar. He flings a missile at a Kyo clone who was one particularly frightened by Chez Shay's rush. He is blasted back against another Kyo clone, and the two fall over. Chez Shay zooms a little closer, moving too quickly to be shot by the droids, then swerves hard to the right to strafe the entire gang of Kyo clones with bullets, damaging every one of them. They all become angry now, overriding their fear of her, and three of them leap at her, only for The Beast to blast one with a missile, sending him flying back to where he was. The other two grab hold of Chez Shay's vacuum cleaner, but one gets his face stuck in the intake nozzle and yelps. Chez Shay cackles as she turns to fly straight up, avoiding more droid shots. The remaining Kyo clones wait for an opening, though a certain one notices Lyla and Kira, and points, getting the attention of three other clones and some of the droids. Lyla brings both clutched hands to her face as she shrieks, "EEK! He saw us!"

"Of course he saw us! Why aren't you attacking?!" Kira snarls.

Lyla trembles in cowardice as she blathers, "They're so scary and mean and strong and-" Kira suddenly jumps onto Lyla's flying carpet, grabs her and shakes her with each word she screams, "WILL - YOU - SHUT - UP?!" Lyla squeaks in terror, then yelps when Kira thrusts a hand to point at the enemies and shouts, "They're already moving in to attack! Do SOMETHING!"

Sasha drifts close, just as afraid as Lyla, and asks, "What about you?"

Kira can do nothing but growl, "GRRR!" and think angry thoughts.

Lyla and Sasha yelp again, and the former shrieks when one of the Kyo clones also jumps onto her carpet to attack her. Sasha, with a fearful squeal, releases a bomb that bursts on impact with the Kyo clone, sending him flying off. Sasha flinches. Lyla stares. They look at each other. They see three more Kyo clones, including the two that were initially attacked by The Beast, rushing in along with some droids, and nod. Lyla has her flying carpet rise upward, tilt forward to give her a good angle, and she starts spraying shots from her Tambourines. The Kyo clones yelp and shield themselves with their arms from the wide spray, which also batters the droids. Kira hangs on to the carpet, unable to do anything. No one notices how extremely frustrated this makes her feel. When some of the droids open fire on Lyla, she yelps, shifting left and right in the air to avoid them. She points with a yelp, and Sasha darts forward between her and the droids. Sasha retracts into her oil lamp shell, and suddenly creates a large, rune-filled sphere of mystic energy all around her. The droids' shots that enter this sphere slow to a crawl, giving Lyla plenty of time to move out of the way. One of the Kyo clones leaps up into the sphere and catches Sasha mid-air. Lyla becomes horrified. The Kyo clone lands, and Sasha peeks out of her shell. He gives her a frightening grin, but he drops the look when Sasha imitates it. She pops him square in the face with a bomb, throwing him off his feet. Sasha quickly returns to Lyla's side, and the two are distracted for a moment by how frightening that was. Kira's impatience grows rapidly.

Chez Shay, meanwhile, shoots the Kyo clone clinging to her vacuum cleaner center in the face with her Gunbrella, badly injuring him. He tumbles off of her vacuum cleaner and slams onto the roof, where he lets out a groan. Chez Shay swings around in the air, avoiding more droid shots, sees Sasha's defense sphere, and gives The Beast a look. He shrugs, shaking his head. With derision, she comments, "Why anyone would want to use that technique, I don't know. It kills the thrill!"

She proceeds to reverse the flow of her vacuum cleaner, literally firing the Kyo clone stuck in its nozzle at the others. The final two Kyo clones, the only ones not doing anything, are struck and knocked over, but quickly recover from the attack. Helping their clone brother up, they then fling him at Chez Shay, causing her to yelp. He flies in, swinging his leg for a flaming roundhouse kick. He nails Chez Shay and she nearly crashes into the ground, recovering just before the impact. She slowly rises back into the air, unnervingly still, tilts her head forward to shadow her eyes, and a demonic look overtakes her, her eyes glowing from within the shadow of her hair. The Kyo clones become nervous, especially when a nightmarish grin forms on Chez Shay's face. "Did you just hit me?" she speaks in an equally nightmarish tone. The Beast proclaims in a calm, scary voice, "YOU'RE SCREWED."

Chez Shay starts into a mad shriek as she builds her power up, and her Gunbrella changes shape slightly, its barrel increasing in size. The Beast lets out another high-pitched roar, his eyes flaring with energy. The two rush toward the Kyo clones, creating wind-wakes as they go. The Kyo clone still laying on the ground is sent rolling from the wakes, and slams into a stack of metal parts, which fall all over him, and render him unconscious. Chez Shay shifts sideways suddenly, smashing into a Kyo clone who had been waiting for an opening. He is held in place by the impact for some reason, shaking violently, and Chez Shay swings her Gunbrella to smash him and send him flying at the other two Kyo clones. They brace themselves and try to catch him, the impact still causing them to slide toward the edge of the structure. Chez Shay races toward them, pointing her Gunbrella, and proceeds to fire grenades at them, revealing that her weapon has changed from a machine gun to a grenade launcher. At the same time, The Beast creates a cluster of missiles and flings them down at the Kyo clones. They yell in fear and leap to avoid as the many blasts hit the roof, causing the entire structure to shake violently and destroying a large section of the roof. The particular Kyo clone that kicked Chez Shay stares in horror at the sight, and struggles to keep his footing when the structure shudders.

As this is going on, Lyla has resumed battering the Kyo clones trying to get at her, with her Tambourines' shots. But the fire from the droids makes it difficult for her to do anything else, even though by now Bella and Bridgette have destroyed some of the droids. Unwilling to risk Sasha being grabbed again, Lyla resorts to a different defensive technique. She draws out a large card with an elaborate design depicting an orbit shield, the Roll Skill Card, and activates it. Several orbs of mystic energy suddenly form around her, orbiting her rapidly, and they repel the shots by the droids that might have otherwise hit her. She resumes holding off the Kyo clones, while Sasha casts bombs at them. They bunch up to improve their defenses, and struggle to find a way to attack her.

Kira, as she observes this, on her hands and knees on Lyla's carpet, looks around for any means possible to help the group fight. She notices the various construction vehicles parked around the site. She looks at Zan as he fights Kusanagi, and wishes she could borrow his weapon, but there is too much happening to do so. Then she notices a droid pass by under them, trying to find a good angle to shoot at someone with. Kira grits her teeth, eyes narrowed, and frog-hops off Lyla's carpet, causing her and Sasha to yelp. Kira lands on the droid, and it wobbles and panics. The Kyo clones also watch, but can't do anything with the rain of wood bolts fired by Lyla. One of them yelps when he blocks a burst from one of Sasha's bombs. Kira grabs the back plating of the droid, and with a mighty grunt, peels it back to expose circuitry. She starts pulling circuits and rewiring the droid, and it staggers around in the air, barely able to stay aloft despite how small Kira is. Her genius in technology allows her to hijack the droid, and she grins evilly, turning the droid to shoot at the Kyo clones. The shots aren't very powerful against them either, but at least it's something, she thinks. At this point, the entire structure shudders violently from Chez Shay's attack, and the Kyo clones fighting Lyla and Kira stagger too, while Lyla and Kira are airborne and unaffected. Lyla and Sasha find themselves amazed at Kira's competence, but shriek when one of the Kyo clones, who has had enough of Lyla's barrage, leaps through the projectiles up at her. He is hit by the orbiting shield, but grabs on to Lyla's carpet, and she nearly falls off of it from the sudden weight imbalance, before her carpet adjusts for it. He tries to climb on, and gives her an angry glare. She returns it with a frightened stare. With Lyla's rain of shots stopped, one of the other Kyo clones starts building Fire energy, while the other two rush toward Kira, who has to avoid the shots of the other droids as well, and shoot back at them with her hijacked droid.

Bridgette and Bella jump sideways to avoid being shot by the droids that have targeted them. One of the droids fires a shot at Teresa, but Bella throws up a Light Screen to block it, and returns fire with her rifle. Teresa continues to focus, and thrusts a hand, casting out a Tar Blob. It misses, and spluts to the roof. Teresa scowls, and resumes focusing. Bridgette sees the droids harrying Zan as he battles Kusanagi, and builds up her Volt power, teeth gritted. A droid suddenly drops right in front of her, causing her to lose her focus, and it shoots her right in the chest, the bolt damaging the frilly cover she uses for her breasts, as well as inflicting a burn on her chest itself. She shrieks when this happens, and snarls at the droid, thrusting a hand to blast it with a bolt of Lightning and sending it flying. She pauses to look down at her chest, and sees that the burn has affected her cleavage as well. She seethes with rage, and leaps at the droid as it rises back up. She grabs it, and shoves a Fireball into the droid's single eye, igniting the thing, then throws it at another droid, and the two crash to the roof, where the first droid is destroyed. Three other droids have surrounded Bella, and she desperately tries to block their shots, but because they fire at intervals, they start managing to shoot her. She cries out from the pain of the hits, tears forming in the corners of her eyes, when a bunch of reddish runes briefly materialize in the air over the droids, leaving a red haze overhead of them. They become distracted by this, and Teresa smirks. Bella recognizes this too. After looking at the Death energy swirling about over the droids, Bella says, "Did you use Amplify Damage?"

Teresa nods, and replies, "It's low-level, but I need to conserve my energy. Get 'em!"

Bella promptly shoots one of the droids with a burst shot from her Compression Phaser Rifle, and the shot does twice as much damage on the droid, instantly destroying it. The other two back away quickly when they confirm this status condition, and avoid being shot by Bella's rifle. Teresa resumes focusing, but gets shot in the back by a droid and falls onto her hands and knees with a squeal. She twists around and flings a Tar Blob at the droid, and nails it, blinding it. It starts shooting randomly, and Teresa runs away from it toward Bridgette. She is building Voltage energy again, and Teresa hides behind her to resume focusing. Bridgette finally gets a chance to fling a Chain Lightning blast at the droids attacking Zan, and the bolt arcs off of one to hit three others, one right after the other, severely damaging them. Bella thrusts a hand to launch a Cat Bullet, and its recursive energy claw projectiles fire forth at all nearby targets, damaging the droids hit. The shot itself is too slow to hit any of the droids directly however, and eventually dissipates. But one of the droids, already damaged by Bridgette's initial attack, goes down from the recursive shot damage and crashes, partially destroyed, and at least disabled from further combat. The girls all stagger violently when the structure shudders from Chez Shay's attack. Bella looks over at the immense damage that was caused, and mutters, "I was wondering when she would go berserk..."

"Wow!" Teresa just shouts, while Bridgette yelps, "Augh!" and falls against Teresa. The two end up falling over completely, and Bridgette hollers, "Dangit, you idiot!" in Chez Shay's direction, while Teresa grunts, "OOF! Ow..."

Using the opening Chez Shay provided, Zan leaps over Kusanagi to avoid the combined attack. The droids still fire their charged shots, and one of them inadvertently shoots one of the Kyo clones, knocking him over. He shakes his fist at the droid, shouting angrily at it, and it just stares at him for a moment. Kusanagi watches Zan leap, and angrily fusses, "Dammit! You're too jumpy!" He quickly swings around to throw a series of flaming punches at Zan.

He blocks these hits with crossed arms, gritting his teeth, cybernetic eye glowing intensely. On the last hit, a roundhouse heel kick, Zan catches Kusanagi's leg, swings him around, and throws him at one of the Kyo clones. The two crash down, and the third Kyo clone leaps at Zan with a flaming flying punch. Zan shocks the Kyo clone by grabbing his hand, sustaining a bit of Fire damage in the process, thrusts his other hand to grab the Kyo clone by the chest, swings him over himself and slams him into the ground behind where Zan was standing. He jumps away, flicking his sizzling hand to disperse the embers, grateful for the fact that Crystal resists Fire. He is shot by a bolt from one of the droids, distracting him long enough for a Kyo clone to leap in as well, and kick Zan in the head. The cybernetic half, that is. Zan jolts, but it ends up hurting the Kyo clone as well, and he flips back. Zan thrusts a hand at him, and nothing happens. Zan flinches, then facepalms, and the Kyo clone snerks. Kusanagi forms a cruel sneer, and chides, "Ah yeah, no elemental powers. Sucks to be you, Fandango." Jumping in instantly, he punches Zan square in the back, and Zan jolts with a yelp. Kusanagi trash talks, "Bet you wish you had your gear! Bet you all feel pretty helpless! Considering you'll never get to our base, you'll never be able to GET your gear back! We've got all of it thanks to that nifty causeway trick our geeks used, and we're going to turn ALL of your stuff into weapons of our own!"

Zan pauses for a moment and points at Kusanagi, speaking with that strangely calm tone again, "What about those ties you stole?"

Kusanagi blinks, then forms a repulsed look as he replies, "Pssh, I hate ties. I couldn't care less about them." He grabs Zan, lifting him into the air, and forces Fire energy onto him, damaging him, then generating an explosion that sends Zan flying with a painful cry, catching the attention of the girls.

"Zan! GRAAAHH!" Bridgette shrieks, intensifying her efforts to destroy the droids. She swings her arms in front of herself several times, casting off a huge cloud of dancing electric sparks that glide forward somewhat slowly, known as Charged Bolts. Their mere disturbance of the air frazzles the droids, and one of them suddenly overloads and explodes. Bridgette finishes this by raising her hands up, with a shriek, and thrusting them straight down, causing her dress's short skirt to fly up and flash her backside, which is not covered by any underwear. An expanding ring of electricity, a skill known as a Nova, races out and hits everyone on the roof, including her friends, who are unharmed, but stunning some of the Kyo clones and damaging most of the droids. The one blinded by Teresa's Tar Blob catches on fire and flies around in a panic, then crashes to the ground and explodes.

Teresa also reacts to Zan's outcry, "MASTER! NGH!" and focuses for power even harder.

Kira viciously snarls, "GRRR!" and has her droid build a charged shot to fire at Kusanagi, but one of the Kyo clones she's dealing with smacks the attack aside to keep her focused on him. He rushes toward her, but she backs away, firing shots with her droid. The Kyo clone leaps at her, and she shifts hard to the side to avoid a flying punch. The other Kyo clone jumps at her from a different angle and manages to land a kick on the droid. Kira yelps and struggles to stay mounted to the droid as it swirls around in the air, a chunk of its side crushed by the kick. Kira returns fire with its shots again, backing away from them still, where she notices a particularly useful-looking construction vehicle down below. She narrows her eyes.

Chez Shay's eyes widen at seeing Zan get sent flying. She angrily shouts, "Oh HELL no!" and draws a Skill Card like one that Lyla had. This one, however, depicts a design of two half-fused human-shaped images: the Decoy Card. The moment she uses it, a double of herself forms, causing terror to befall the Kyo clones. Her allies can tell which one is fake, as it is translucent, but to the enemies, it appears solid and behaves as though it were the real her and has a mind of its own. On top of this, the damage it inflicts is real, and the two Chez Shays start launching grenades at the Kyo clones, some of the blasts even leaving holes in the roof. The Beast also continues flinging his big missiles, and one of the Kyo clones trips on a piece of debris while attempting to avoid one of the explosives. The blast sends him flying off of the building, and he crashes onto the roof of a large storage trailer, being rendered unconscious by the impact.

Bella grits her teeth in fright at seeing Zan get sent flying. She exclaims, "Someone help Zan!"

Lyla notices Zan, then hears Bella, and frantically thinks, while Sasha is blasting the Kyo clone hanging on to their carpet, keeping him from doing anything. Lyla blinks when she realizes something, and shouts, "Zan! Catch!" She takes out a heart-shaped vial from her own personal pocket dimension, and throws it at him. Her carpet gets blasted the next moment by a huge flame rush from the Kyo clone who was building a charge, and she shrieks. She jumps off her carpet, lands on the ground, and the carpet rolls up tightly, knocking off the Kyo clone that was hanging on to it. The carpet hits the ground, rolls around, and puts the fire out. Lyla resumes spraying shots at the Kyo clones with her Tambourines, to hold them off long enough for her carpet to put out its burning. It unfurls, minimally damaged, and swoops under Lyla. She quickly sits down again. The Kyo clones become frustrated, and Lyla is half panic-stricken, trying with great intensity to keep fighting bravely.

Zan rolls over onto his back, hears Lyla, and sees her fling the vial toward him. He catches it, and recognizes it immediately: a Health Potion. He pops the cap off, and chugs the sparkling red fluid. The pain of his injuries immediately ceases, and he flips to his feet. Kusanagi's jaw drops, then closes into a tightly tooth-gritted snarl. He snaps, "Hey! No fair healing!"

Zan slowly moves his gaze from the bottle, which he dematerializes for resources, to Kusanagi, revealing a fierce determination and strong resolve, as he responds, "You consider this a fair fight, outnumbering us three to one with us completely stripped of our gear? Forget that. HAVE AT YOU!" Rejuvenated, he rushes at Kusanagi to re-challenge him.

Kusanagi, angry now, drops into a fighting stance to ready for Zan's attack. The Kyo clones with him also ready themselves, beside Kusanagi. Suddenly a Tar Pit forms beneath the three Kyo clones, and they promptly fall in. Kusanagi yelps, hopping to the side to avoid it, and Zan also notices, stopping his attack rush suddenly. He passes a look at Teresa, who has a hand outstretched toward the pit. She is staring in amazement, and a proud smile crosses Zan's face for a moment. Bella, too, observes this, and smiles brightly. "WOW! You made a Tar Pit without your scepter!" she cheers.

Teresa, eyes wide, staring in amazement, stammers, "I... I..." She shakes her head, and puts her arms akimbo in pride, as she declares, "Well of course I did. I am a Tar QUEEN, remember?" She grins overconfidently, and adds, "What a simple task! Oh-hohohoho!"

The Kyo clones struggle to get out of the tar, which firmly holds them in. Teresa focuses a little more, and attempts to call her Uroktors, but finds them uncontactable completely. This frustrates her, and she remembers that she can't summon anything due to the jamming signal. Zan resumes rushing Kusanagi, and throws himself at him in a flying kick. Kusanagi dodges this and throws a flaming uppercut at Zan, but he dodges it with a quick roll. He springs out of the roll at Kusanagi, but Kusanagi dodges it by leaping over Zan. He attempts to backflip onto Zan for a stomp, but Zan dodges it by springing sideways with his arms. The Kyo clones struggling in the Tar Pit become angrier, and ignite their fists in an effort to amplify their strength. The tar promptly catches fire. Zan skids to a stop, his eyes widening and the Alarm Icon taking over his cybernetic eye. "Oh CRAP!" he shouts loud enough for everyone to hear. He leaps the heck away, prompting Kusanagi to flinch and look at what's happening.

Bridgette saw all of this happen, and screams in addition, "HIT THE DECK!" She, Teresa, and Bella do so and cover their heads. Chez Shay stops to see what's going on. Kira has since fled the rooftop skirmish to another area of the site. The Kyo clones that were after her turn around to see what's going on as well. Lyla shrieks, not knowing what's about to happen, but still backs away quickly.

The Tar Pit explodes in a mushroom cloud blast that rocks the structure and blows a huge hole in the roof and two levels below it. Combined with all of the damage Chez Shay has inflicted up to this point, the now ruined incomplete hotel starts to collapse. The blast obliterates the three Kyo clones who were stuck in the Tar Pit. Kusanagi stares in horror as he is engulfed by the blazing explosion, which also destroys three of the droids that were close to the blast. All the other Kyo clones are thrown off their feet. The flames do not damage them that much, but the shockwave is what knocks them over.

The structure begins to collapse in on itself now. With a thunderous roar of metal and concrete, the structure crumbles into debris, which gets sent flying. Bella, Bridgette and Teresa scramble to their feet and struggle to stay upright, but get hit by flying debris. A rafter pops up through the floor and launches Bridgette into another area of the construction site. Two droids and a Kyo clone get sent flying that way as well. Everyone else ends up being launched by the flying debris as well, including Zan, Kusanagi, Teresa, Bella, and the other Kyo clones, scattering everyone around the construction yard. A single droid remains floating over the wreckage. Chez Shay busts out laughing at the sheer excitement of the collapse, and chases after one of the Kyo clones as he goes flying. The droid spots her, and moves to pursue. Lyla is blown to another area of the site by the shockwave of the explosion. Kira has since abandoned her hijacked droid, and has clambered into the great crane of the construction site. Using some parts from the now dead droid, she is able to get the crane in operation, and snickers evilly, the engine of the machine roaring to life. She watches in shock the next moment when the hotel structure collapses. She yelps, "Crap!" then sees everyone getting scattered from the collapse. She crimps her mouth, and complains, "And JUST when I was about to play a trump card! Grr..." She sees two Kyo clones crash into construction equipment near her crane, however. "Hmm..."

Kusanagi and Zan land on their feet on the roof of a foreman's trailer, and glare at each other. Kusanagi has become enraged, red eyes glowing like the Fire he wields, and he snarls, "Now you've done it! You killed some of my brothers!"

Zan, in contrast, maintains his composure to the utmost, and respectfully replies, "I do believe they killed themselves with their own Fire igniting that Tar Pit. Sorry, but that was an accidental suicide."

"SCREW THAT!" Kusanagi roars. He launches at Zan, and throws a punch that Zan grabs. "SCREW YOU!" he bellows, and tries to punch Zan with his other hand, but Zan grabs that one too. "When we finish you off here, we're going to improve our projects of exploiting those dimensional breaches using the technology we steal from you, and take over every realm in the multiverse we can find, just like we did this realm! And there's NOTHING you'll be able to do to stop us!" Kusanagi rages.

Zan, cooler than a Chilfos in Kamina shades, replies, "I see. So NESTS HAS been exploiting Interdimensional Static. Do your leaders know the damage they might be causing by doing this?"

Kusanagi, steadily calming down, but still furious, retorts, "I couldn't give a rat's ass!" He kicks Zan in the groin, and Zan jolts. It hurts Kusanagi too, however, causing him to flinch, then stare in confusion. He remarks, "What the hell? Are you wearing some kind of metal cup?"

Zan is half pained, and his flesh eye twitches slightly, as he groans, "Something like that..."

Zan proceeds to wrench Kusanagi's arms sideways, flinging him off the roof of the trailer. Zan jumps down after him immediately after. Kusanagi flips back to his feet just in time to be grabbed by Zan again, and Zan throws him with such force that he flies clean through the flimsy walls of the trailer, popping out the other side and crashing into a gravel pile. Zan leaps over the structure, only to be pelted by a barrage of red-hot gravel bits. Zan yelps, backs up quickly and jumps inside the trailer to avoid the attack, as Kusanagi grabs and flings gravel at Zan at a machine gun's rate of fire, heating up the gravel to near-molten levels as he grabs them. The trailer promptly catches on fire, and Zan leaps out a window to get away from it. He grabs a pair of rebar pieces from a stack, and starts smacking the gravel away, until Kusanagi gives this up and leaps at Zan with a roar and a flying, flaming punch.

Bella crashes down with a duff into a big pile of sand near a cement mixer. She pops up from the pile and coughs. She climbs to her feet, and yelps when a Kyo clone crashes down just a few feet away. He quickly flips to his feet, haggard from the fighting he's experienced so far. He sees Bella, and scowls. She faces him, frowning. (Alone again... But a one-on-one? I can take him! My friends are nearby! I have to lead them to victory!) she thinks, forming a confident and determined look.

She fires her Compression Phaser Rifle in stream mode. The Kyo clone runs to the side, building flames up in his fist, and leaps at Bella suddenly. She tries to jump out of the way, but slips on the sand and lands on her face instead, yet still manages to avoid the attack, and the Kyo clone lands on the other side of the pile. He jumps in, grabs Bella and lifts her up, teeth gritted. Bella proceeds to spit a mouth-full of sand into his face, and he yelps, dropping her to her feet and stepping back as he tries to get the sand out of his eyes. He gets blasted by a Cat Bullet from Bella the next moment and falls backward. He flips to his feet, struggling to see Bella, furious now.

Lyla and Sasha managed to stay in the air, Lyla remaining on her carpet. The Roll effect of her Skill Card has since worn off. She watches as a Kyo clone crashes down on a stack of building materials covered by tarp. The Kyo clone promptly flips to his feet and sees Lyla. He snarls, Lyla squeals in fear, and the Kyo clone jumps onto the covered stack, then jumps up to grab on to her carpet again. Sasha flinches when she gets a closer look at him the moment he does this, and exclaims, "You're the same one that did this before! Won't you ever learn?"

She pops in him the face with another bomb, which blows him off and he crashes down yet again on the covered stack. Once again, he flips to his feet, but it is clear now that his stamina is drained. He starts building Fire energy, and Lyla responds by drawing a new Skill Card, one that depicts a transparent sphere: the Bubble Card. She thrusts her Tambourines forward, and a big Bubble forms in front of her that glides forward. Before the Kyo clone realizes it, he has been caught inside the Bubble, and struggles to get out of it. Sasha releases another bomb, the Kyo clone panics, and when the bomb hits the Bubble, the blast sends him flying straight up into the air.

Kira operates the crane to take hold of a steel girder from a stack. The two Kyo clones get to their feet, but cannot see Kira inside the crane, due to her short stature. They look around for something to attack, and Kira forms a big, evil grin. She swings the girder forward, and it slams into the back of one of the Kyo clones, sending him flying forward with a pained cry. He smashes into a trash can, and ends up flipped upside down with his head inside the can. The other Kyo clone swings around in surprise, in time to get smacked by the girder as well, and crashes into a stack of pallets, which collapses down on him. The Kyo clone in the trashcan struggles to get out, while the second Kyo clone pops out of the stack, confused. Kira controls the crane to smash the trashcan with the girder, sending the can flying against a large metal storage box. The Kyo clone inside yelps, and gets dumped out of the trashcan. The second Kyo clone realizes that the crane is being controlled, and races toward it. Kira intercepts him with the girder, and he is forced into a baseball slide to avoid getting smashed in the head by the girder. He yelps when Kira has the crane drop the girder on top of his chest. He grunts in pain, and the first Kyo clone rushes over to assist him. Kira uses the crane to grab the Kyo clone himself, and he struggles with furious yelling. The pinned Kyo clone exerts all of his might to push the girder off of him himself. The moment he does, Kira drops the first Kyo clone onto the second, and they grunt from the sudden pileup. Inside the crane, Kira is laughing her head off.

The Kyo clone Chez Shay chose to pursue crashes down onto the roof of a bulldozer. He groans, and sits up. He yelps in fright when Chez Shay and her double swoop in and grin at him. In desperate fear, the Kyo clone throws himself at Chez Shay and attempts to kick her, but she and her double blast him with their grenade launchers, sending him flying right back to the bulldozer. He smashes down on the side of the machine and falls behind the blade. Chez Shay frowns, and The Beast flies in a little closer to throw missiles. The bulldozer withstands the blasts, and the Kyo clone rises up suddenly to fling a rush of flames at The Beast. He backs away, throwing a missile to intercept the flames and disrupt them with a blast. Chez Shay looks at her double, and the two nod. They take out hand grenades, one real, one fake. They pull the pins, and chuck them down into the space behind the bulldozer's blade. The Kyo clone panics, grabs the fake grenade, and throws it out of the space. The next instant, the real grenade explodes, and the Kyo clone is sent flying straight up. He drops back down, and lands on the roof of the bulldozer. He blanks out from the damage, and stops moving. Chez Shay belts an evil laugh, and promptly gets shot on the back of the head by the Attack Drone. She swings around, snarling ferociously, and she, her double, and The Beast simultaneously fire explosive projectiles at the droid, destroying it to the point nothing is left. Having defeated the only Kyo clone in the area, Chez Shay looks for another fight to pick, and spots Zan dueling with Kusanagi. She flies that way quickly, her double fading away when she does.

Teresa crashes down with a painful yelp into another stack of something covered by a tarp. The stack half collapses when she hits it, and she ends up in a sitting position with her back to the stack. She shakes her head and climbs to her feet. She stares at the billowing dust and smoke rising from the wreckage that remains of the incomplete hotel, and exclaims, "I... can't believe I made that entire building collapse!"

She yelps when a Kyo clone crashes down several feet away. When he climbs to his feet, and when sees her, he grits his teeth in anger. Teresa squeals in fright, and runs from him around the side of the stack. The Kyo clone rushes after her, and the two end up running several laps around the stack. After going round and round for a minute, the Kyo clone, as enraged as Kusanagi was by the death of some of the clones, roars, "STOP RUNNING YOU LITTLE BRAT! FACE ME!"

Teresa, however, has been building her power as she runs. She sneers when he taunts her, suddenly stops, and faces him. At the same moment, she thrusts out a hand and fires a blob of tar that nails the Kyo clone's chest and gunks up his arms. He skids to a stop, struggles for a bit, and then realizes what has happened. Teresa observes with malicious delight as terror grips him, and he reacts, "Oh... OH! OH GOD! GET IT OFF! GEDDITOFF GEDDITOFF GEDDITOFF!"

Observing the enemy break into a full-blown panic, Teresa taunts with a sneer, "What's the matter, loser? Too afraid to use your Fire skills now that you know my tar is your biggest weakness? Afraid of the tiny Tar Queen now, are you?"

The Kyo clone, his pupils shrunk and most of the blood flushed from his face, just screams, "AAAAAAAAHH!" and runs away from Teresa. She takes off after him, building her elemental energy again as she goes. She chases him across the construction site.

Bridgette crashes down in yet another area of the construction site that is evidently the lunch-break area. A tent and some tables have been set up here, but when Bridgette lands on the tent, it collapses. The next moment one of the droids lands on the ground and half breaks, but manages to rise up into the air, tilted hard to the side. A Kyo clone crashes down the next moment, rolls a few feet and bashes against a trashcan. The second droid lands on the Kyo clone and he grunts. Bridgette promptly climbs to her feet, and yelps when the floating droid shoots at her. She jumps out of the way of the shots and scowls. The Kyo clone and the second droid rise up the next moment, and Bridgette gives them a wary look. The droids immediately resume shooting at her, and she jumps out of the way. The Kyo clone leaps at her, and throws a punch that Bridgette just barely ducks below. She throws herself against the Kyo clone for a hard shove, but he only staggers back slightly. He sneers at her, and Bridgette glowers back. She builds a charge of Voltage in her fists, and the Kyo clone builds a charge of Fire in his. Simultaneously, the two launch their elemental blasts, and the two collide, producing a Plasma burst in the center. Bridgette is interrupted when one of the droids shoots her, and she jolts in pain. She screeches as she turns and launches a blast of Chain Lightning at that droid. The blast arcs off of it to hit the Kyo clone, catching him off guard, then arcs off to hit the second droid, then hits the Kyo clone again for a double-whammy that throws him off his feet. The second droid, the more heavily damaged one, sparks violently. Its visual lens then pops, and the droid drops to the ground and breaks into pieces. Bridgette pants, and readies herself when the Kyo clone climbs to his feet again.

A glistening mist has begun to form at the northwestern corner of the construction site...

Zan has blocked Kusanagi's attack with crossed arms, having discarded the pieces of rebar, but gets knee-slammed the next moment and staggers back. Kusanagi throws a series of Fire-empowered punches that Zan only barely manages to dodge, the flames themselves singeing him. Kusanagi surprises Zan at the end of the attacks by grabbing him and lifting him in the air for another Fire-empowered blast. Kusanagi forms a despicable sneer, as he calmly says, "Oh, and by the way. Krizalid says, 'hi'!"

Zan flinches, and the Irritation Icon forms in his cybernetic eye briefly. He clicks his tongue in aggravation, and is about to say something, but before he can, and before Kusanagi can trigger the explosion, the latter is hit in the side by a grenade blast from Chez Shay. He falls to the side, dropping Zan, and snarls. Chez Shay zips in, and snarls even more viciously. Kusanagi builds a massive surge of Fire in his fist, his entire body engulfed in flames. The Beast strikes him with a missile, but he ignores it, much to the surprise of the two mad bombers. Zan throws himself at Chez Shay, sending her and The Beast tumbling just before Kusanagi unleashes a volcanic eruption's worth of flame that glasses the ground and incinerates the large metal tool box that the blast comes into contact with. Chez Shay gives Zan a starry look, but he keeps his focus on Kusanagi, and leaps at him the next instant while he cools down from the huge blast. Chez Shay sits up, watching Zan go, and coos, "He so totally loves me." The Beast just grunts, "..." with no real expression.

Chez Shay returns to the air, back in attack mode, and fires a grenade past Zan at Kusanagi. It hits, and the explosion causes him to yelp, expanding the opening for Zan's rush. Zan throws a powerful right hook that nails Kusanagi in the chin. He parries the next hit, and tries to break Zan's arm, only for Zan to move with the twist and fall onto Kusanagi instead. Zan punches Kusanagi repeatedly in the face, before Kusanagi blows him off with a flame blast. Zan slides backward, staying on his feet. The Tar-Blobbed Kyo clone runs by in the background, with Teresa still chasing him.

Bella fires her phaser again, but the Kyo clone jumps behind the cement mixer to avoid the attack and struggles to get the sand out of his eyes. Bella cautiously approaches the mixer, then yelps when the Kyo clone hefts the entire thing into the air and throws it at her. With a shriek, Bella dives out of the way, and the mixer crashes down into the sand pile with a wild burst. The Kyo clone leaps at her, she tries to get to her feet, and he grabs and lifts her into the air. She attempts a gut-check with her gun, but he smacks her rifle from her hand before she can. Bella screams when the Kyo clone discharges Fire energy onto her, and creates a blast that sends her flying. She tumbles through the air, and lands in a large tub of water used for cement mixing. The water douses the flames, and Bella pulls her head up above the water surface. She looks down at herself, and, sure enough, her top is once again completely soaked and transparent, her breasts clearly visible through it. She rolls her eyes and climbs to her feet. She flinches when she finds the Kyo clone looking at her with a smirk, holding her own rifle. She notices his eyes move to look at her breasts through her top, and she puts a hand akimbo. "Take a good look, because this is the last thing you're gonna see," she says with a snagglefanged smirk.

The Kyo clone huffs, though there is a mild blush on his face now, as he keeps his eyes on Bella's breasts for a moment. But then looks at her face as he responds, "Big words from a little girl without her gun."

He shoots Bella with the Compression Phaser Rifle, only to flinch when the rifle is unable to harm her. Her smirk widens into a sneer, as she bluntly states, "Sorry, but our own weapons cannot hurt us, you bully."

Focusing her Light element powers, Bella creates a flare of Light twice as bright as the ones used by the Camera Drones, right in front of the Kyo clone. He cries out in pain, dropping Bella's gun, and rubs his eyes. He tries to get his vision to come back, but it won't. Bella flings herself out of the tub of water, grabs her rifle, and smacks the Kyo clone over the back of the head with it. He staggers forward with a yelp, so Bella rifle-whips him again. He lets out a cry and falls forward. Finally Bella shoots him for good measure, and he jolts, before passing out from the pain. Bella sighs, closing her eyes for a moment to catch her breath. She hears Zan battling Kusanagi, and with a yelp, she takes off running to the fight. The Tar-Blobbed and blubberingly-panicked Kyo clone runs by in the background, Teresa chasing him still.

The Kyo clone battling Lyla drops back to the ground, and staggers to his feet, only to find another Bubble coming his way. He throws a Fire-empowered punch, popping the Bubble before it can absorb him. Lyla keeps releasing the huge Bubbles, and the Kyo clone desperately throws punches to burst them. As this repeats itself, Sasha carefully floats around to get behind the Kyo clone without his noticing. She suddenly shoots him in the rear end with a bomb, and with a yelp he hops forward, right into a Bubble. Lyla giggles, and the Kyo clone, gripping his butt in pain, looks around inside the Bubble and yelps, "DAMMIT!"

Lyla releases another Bubble, having this one float higher than the one the Kyo clone is caught in, and sets up a tilted column of six more Bubbles above the one holding the Kyo clone, before her Skill Card effect wears off. Sasha then releases a bomb, causing the Bubble holding the Kyo clone to explode and launch him upward, right into the next. Sasha chains this, popping each subsequent Bubble for six additional blasts. The last one sends the Kyo clone skyward, and he does not come back down in the construction site. The two watch him disappear with a twinkle in the night sky, and Lyla cheers, "YAY! That was scary!"

Sasha has already become distracted, however, and exclaims, "Lyla! Kira's in trouble! Again!"

Lyla flinches, looking at Sasha, and reacts, "Wha?!" She looks in the direction Sasha that is, and sees the situation Kira has gotten into. With a yelp, she glides in Kira's direction.

The Kyo clones get up from their dogpile, and glower at the crane, knowing Kira's inside. She has the machine lift the girder, and twirl it to hit the Kyo clones, but they duck/jump to avoid it. Kira swings the girder again, and clips the left shoulder of one of the Kyo clones, flipping him to the ground. The other Kyo clone rushes toward the crane operation booth, but Kira once again intercepts him with the girder. He jumps onto the girder this time, and Kira grimaces. She starts the crane swinging in a wide circle, forcing the Kyo clone to hang on with a drawn-out scream. Finally, Kira releases the girder, and sends it and the Kyo clone flying toward the perimeter fence of the construction site. He hits the fence, and the girder hits the Kyo clone, instantly knocking him out. He stays stuck to the fence while the girder crashes loudly to the ground. Kira laughs again, but shrieks when the door to the crane booth rips open. She only has time to look before the other Kyo clone reaches in and yanks her from her seat. Gripping her by her neck, the Kyo clone snarls. Kira tries to kick him, but her little legs have no effect. With pained grunts, she boxes his ears, but her strength is simply not enough to harm the battle-hardened fighter. He flings her from the booth to the ground. She hits it and flops a couple of times with pained grunts. The Kyo clone jumps down and rushes over to grab her again. She grits her teeth, one eye closed and a tear in the other as he lifts her up. The Kyo clone draws back a fist to punch her, when he is popped by a bomb from Sasha. He yelps, being knocked aside and dropping Kira. She drops to her rump, and sees Lyla and Sasha swoop in. She slams her little fists to the ground as she shouts in frustration, her pride almost as hurt as she physically is, "Oh COME ON! You did NOT just SAVE ME AGAIN!"

Lyla shrinks back timidly, and whimpers, "Umm... I'm sorry..." The Kyo clone climbs to his feet and snarls, reacquiring everyone's attention.

The Tar-Blobbed and panic-stricken Kyo clone runs by again, and Teresa is still chasing him. As he runs, he looks back at her, and sees her grinning evilly at him, holding three Tar Blobs over her head. He shrieks in panic, and turns to resume looking where he is going, only to slam his forehead into an overhanging wooden piling that was sticking out from a stack. He instantly knocks himself unconscious and flops onto his back. Teresa comes up and looks at him with a pitiful expression. She kicks him in the head a couple of times, and comments, "That was _really_ , _really_ satisfying. Mweeheehee..." She then notices the situation with Kira and Lyla, and moves toward them, maintaining her Tar Blobs at the ready.

Bridgette thrusts a hand to blast the Kyo clone with Lightning, and he swings a fist to block it with a Fire blast, creating another burst of Plasma. When the burst clears, he flinches as Bridgette comes flying at him, shrieking. She slams both fists down on his shoulders. While he barely registers the actual impact, the electricity that surges through him the next second causes great pain. Bridgette kicks off of him, lands on her feet and holds her hands in the air, creating an orb of electricity. The Kyo clone, shaking uncontrollably from the surging Voltage, watches as Bridgette flings the orb forward and down. The moment it hits the ground, it creates a large dome of electricity that racks up Volt damage on the Kyo clone. The last of the Attack Drones promptly malfunctions, and explodes, finishing off the droids in the area. Bridgette remains standing, panting, as the Kyo clone is electrocuted by the electric dome. When it terminates, the Kyo clone starts to stagger toward Bridgette. She stares in shock at the fact he's still moving, even if only just barely. He gets to her, reaches, and falls over. He manages to grab hold of her damaged, frilly cover for her breasts, and pulls it down as he falls, causing her to flinch. The top is torn in the process, and Bridgette's breasts pop free. The Kyo clone passes out, and Bridgette stares at him for a moment. Her stare converts into a scowl, and she remarks, "Just had to add insult to injury, huh?" She kicks his head, creating a minor spark of Voltage, and snaps, "Jerkass."

She tries adjust her breast cover, but the tear keeps it from staying up for more than a few seconds. Bridgette sighs, and senses that Zan is still fighting Kusanagi. She shrugs off her exposure, and runs to find him.

A person has appeared within the mist at the northwest corner of the construction site...

Kusanagi flips to his feet, and can sense that, one-by-one, the Kyo clones in the area are being defeated. He begins to hesitate, but decides to make one last ditch effort to take down Zan. He runs at him with an enraged expression, fists igniting. He jumps over a blast from Chez Shay's grenade launcher and throws a flaming left hook with all his might. He nails Zan, throwing him onto his side, where he yelps, sparks casting off of his cybernetic head components. Chez Shay's eyes flare with rage, and she roars as she casts off explosive energy. Her Gunbrella increases in size yet again, and she aims it at Kusanagi. He leaps at her, and throws a kick that strikes her side. She grunts in pain, and Kusanagi prepares to follow up with another attack when The Beast repels him with a missile. He hits the ground, backflips, and gets shot by Bella's Compression Phaser Rifle. Zan climbs to his feet as Bella comes running in to the fight, firing at Kusanagi. Zan shakes his head to clear his vision, and pauses when he sees that Bella's top is once again completely transparent. She passes a glance at him, and he looks at her face. She rolls her eyes again, and Zan averts his eyes with mild confusion and amusement. Kusanagi shields himself from Bella's shots, and throws a Dark Thrust attack her way. She and Zan jump to the side to avoid this, and Kusanagi yelps when rockets come pouring down on him. An enraged Chez Shay is rapid-firing rockets from her Gunbrella now, snarling as she does. Kusanagi performs a series of side-flips to avoid the rockets, which leave a line of blast marks all along the way as Chez Shay keeps firing at him, missing him by mere inches. He performs yet another flip, and lands in the middle of a Charged Bolt. The shock makes him jolt, and he sees Bridgette charge in, scowling. He is only momentarily distracted by her exposed breasts, before he throws himself out of the way of more rockets, missiles and Bella's phaser fire. Bridgette runs up to join Bella in shooting at Kusanagi. Zan takes out his Pulse Rifle and joins in the assault, and Kusanagi becomes extremely frustrated.

The last Kyo clone has been forced to grab the ripped-off door of the crane to shield himself from the storm of projectiles being fired at him by Lyla. Kira scampers over and jumps onto Lyla's carpet. She glares at Lyla, making her shrink back in fear again. One of Sasha's bombs hits the makeshift shield, shattering the window and causing the Kyo clone to yelp and drop his guard. He is subsequently hit in the left side by one of Teresa's Tar Blobs, gunking up his arm. He yelps, eyes widening, as he is hit in the legs by a second blob leaving him stuck in place. Teresa walks up beside Lyla and Kira, and grins. They look at the blobbed-up Kyo clone, then at Teresa. She closes her eyes with a nod as she says, "Go for it."

Sasha nods, and launches a bomb. It glides painfully slowly toward the frightened Kyo clone, who knows he can't use any of his Fire skills to protect himself now. The bomb hits him, pops, and ignites the tar. The two Tar Blobs explode the next moment, sending the Kyo clone flying in pain with a scream. He crashes into a stack of drywall, which collapses on top of him, burying them under their great weight, and he does not move. After a second to confirm he has been defeated, Lyla cheers, "YAY!" Kira just mutters, while Teresa grins.

Teresa then hears the blasts from Chez Shay's rocket launcher, and realizes that there is still one significant fight going on. She yelps, "Oh! Master! We have to help him!"

Lyla nods. Teresa hops into her carpet, and she flies off, transporting the two to the fight against Kusanagi.

By the time they arrive, Kusanagi is completely on the defensive. Jumping and dodging and evading all around, he glares at the group with teeth gritted and eyes glowing in rage. He snarls, "ARGH! Decided to ditch the hand-to-hand huh?! Couldn't handle me any longer, could you?!"

He gets shot in the side by one of Zan's Pulse Rifle shots, and yelps. He flops to the side, and Chez Shay cackles. Lyla arrives with the others, the group completely reunited. Everyone is very haggard from the fight, clothing damage in abundance, and exhaustion evident on their faces. Kusanagi climbs to his feet, only to get slapped in the face by the third of Teresa's Tar Blobs. He yelps a muffled yelp, and pries the glob off, only to find his hands stuck now. He stares at it, his eyes widening, and he cries out, "CRAAAP! I am SO not gonna get blown up!"

Chez Shay thrusts her head forward as she bellows, "OH REALLY?!" and fires more rockets, though Kusanagi jumps out of their way, irritating her.

He displays his greater level of strength by ripping his hands separate from each other, as they were gummed together by the tar, but he still knows he can't use his Fire skills without risking an explosion. Seeing nine tired but ready enemies before him, over half of which have ranged attacks, Kusanagi opts out of continuing the fight. He thrusts his hands angrily, trying to throw the tar off, as he shouts, "Screw this! I'm outta here! I'll defeat you later!" He turns to rush to a gate in the perimeter fencing.

Chez Shay's eyes widen in predatory instinct to pursue fleeing prey. She snarls, "There won't BE a later!" and gives chase with a shriek, The Beast darting after him with her.

Kusanagi kicks the gate lock, shattering it and nearly destroying the fence post in the process. The gate flies open, and Kusanagi dashes out. Chez Shay darts down to pursue him. Zan, however, thrusts a hand to reach for Chez Shay, and exclaims, "Chez Shay! Let him go! Come back!"

Chez Shay freezes, and a look of delight fills her face. With a happy giggle, she turns, and swoops back toward Zan. She squeals in infatuation, "Oh Zan! You can't live without me, can you?!" She promptly glomps him the moment she returns.

He jolts from the glomp, and just chuckles. The other girls, but for Kira, and Teresa, snicker at Chez Shay's overreaction. Teresa looks a tad jealous, but the amusement of the others keeps her from showing it.

Everyone is quite beat up now, and slowly begin to calm down. Lyla notices as the girls check their injuries, and climbs off of her carpet. Stepping toward them, she shows an unusual degree of confidence for the moment as she says, "Here, please, everyone. I brought enough to spare." She hands out to everyone additional Health Potions.

Teresa blinks when she receives one, and looks at it. Holding it up to her face, she shakes it slightly, and quizzically comments, "What is this? Some kind of healing potion? ...It's sparkly."

Lyla smiles modestly, and replies, "The very best the alchemists of Arctaurus can make! When I had that premonition, I stocked up on the things. I guess I can do something right at least." She gives Sasha a sheepish look, to which Sasha responds with a gentle smile.

The girls and Zan drink these potions, and the pain of their injuries subsides, their bruises and burns clearing up quickly. Chez Shay finds the taste to be nasty for some reason, forms a repulsed look as she drinks it, and reacts, "Ergh... I prefer my own potions... Blecc..."

Bridgette watches the injuries on her body fade away, leaving healthy skin in their place, and smiles. "Thank you, Lyla," she says as she looks at her.

Lyla nods enthusiastically, but frowns sadly when she sees the damage to Bridgette's clothing. She gestures to it with her head, and timidly comments, "Your top is torn, Bridgette..."

Bridgette looks down at it, with only a half-interested look, and Chez Shay snerks. She snerks again when she sees that Bella's top is also soaked, rendering her breasts clearly visible. She moves closer to Bella, and exclaims, "Well hey! Bella, have you grown or something? I don't recall your shirt being so filled out!" She moves to poke Bella's breasts.

Bella blocks the attempt with her hands, and pushes Chez Shay's hands aside, as she replies, "...Maybe it's because my tie isn't concealing half of it."

Chez Shay shakes her head, continuing to attempt to poke Bella, and remarks, "I say you grew. It HAS been two years, hasn't it?"

Zan, however, is expressing a combination of amusement and confusion, and comments, "You got a soaking just like that back at the farm. Have you suddenly become a water magnet or something?"

Bella holds her hands up in confoundment as she replies, "Seems like it! This is the FOURTH time this has happened, actually." She goes quiet, then gives Zan a rather suggestive look that everyone can see. She speaks ominously, "Zan, would you like for me to just take my top off?"

The girls focus on Zan's reaction. He stands there for a second, looks at everyone, then back at Bella. Finally, he closes his eyes with a smile, and states, "What, and lose the transparency tease? There's no variety in that!" He waves a hand dismissively.

Most of the girls snicker. Bella moves closer to Zan, and he blinks when she gives him a blushing look at very close range.

The person in the cloud of mist at the northwest corner of the construction site can see the group, and steps to the edge of the cloud, revealing a pale fuchsia robe and a rabbit-ear-leaf headband. It is the same girl as the one that was observing Zan when he first arrived in Stonedump Field. As she watches, Bella teases Zan further, pulling down on her soaked top to amplify her breasts. Chez Shay, and Bridgette, with her exposed breasts, join in on the teasing, while Teresa eggs them on, Kira becomes irritated, and Lyla giggles. Feeling relief washing over them, they goof around as such likely as a form of celebration over winning that drawn-out fight. When Bella touches Zan's face with her hand, he surprises her by pulling her into a hug, and the girls clamor. The sky-blue eyes of the girl in the mist narrow, a darkness befalling her countenance. She turns away the next moment, slipping into the mist to disappear, and shortly, the mist itself drifts away.

~Waypoint 14: Out of the Frying Pan...~

Dusk is now in full effect, the sun gone and the sky only lit by the reflective light of the luminary. The air is filled with the smell of construction dust and the cinders of burned objects. The ambiance is totally quiet, without even any insects calling. The girls have calmed down now, and Zan is using his microlasers to repair the damage to the girls' clothing. Bridgette teases Zan a little further, when once he finishes repairing her frilly breast covering, she pretends to decide she's just going to leave her breasts exposed for now. Zan gives her an amused, skeptical look. She offers for him to touch them. Lyla is sitting on her carpet, and Kira is standing beside it. Teresa is standing close to Bella, and they are both standing close to Zan. Bella's top remains soaked and transparent for the moment. Chez Shay has reverted her Gunbella to machine gun mode, having calmed down. At least to the extent she can. She is, however, quite pleased with how much excitement she got to experience. With a sharp grin, she says, "If you all are gonna be fighting any more of those thugs, I am SO gonna stick around!" "MOAR!" The Beast adds with a similar grin.

Lyla, sitting splay-legged on her carpet, leaning forward, timidly offers, "I'd like to help too... if I can."

Sasha moves close to Lyla to ease her perpetual feelings of inadequacy, and responds, "We helped, Lyla. We can help still more."

Kira, arms folded, gives Lyla a dull look, then turns away and replies, "We'd be better off if you didn't." Lyla whimpers.

Zan is about to say something, when Bella interjects instead, "Lyla, Chez Shay, thanks. I made a mistake when I chose to just bring the five of us to this realm, and your help greatly improved our chances of winning. I am so sick of being unarmed, and I am really worried about my kitty... I feel certain I speak for the rest of us, right?" She looks around at everyone.

Kira looks at her hand, keeping her feelings under cover for now, but she does quietly remark, "You have no idea."

Teresa grips Zan's arm, giving him a sad look, and comments, "I miss my Uroktors... It's too hard to fight without my gear, and I'm so, so nervous without my Contour Barrier."

Everyone groans when they remember their lack of Contour Barriers. Zan looks at her, then at the others, with a similarly pensive expression. "That. And I'm at only around thirty-percent efficiency without my Plasma Cells. I'm getting antsy," he says, bringing up a hand to look through the hole in it.

He can see Bridgette through the hole, and watches as she responds, "I REALLY wish I had my scythe back, yes, but I just don't get it... WHY did they take our ties, too?" She looks down at herself, though all she can see are her bare breasts. She feels her neck, and the lack of a tie, and looks at the others with a slight shake of the head.

Zan shrugs, and says, "Kusanagi said they stole our stuff through the Interspacial Causeway deliberately, and that the stuff is at their base at the castle now. I asked about the ties, but he just blew me off. Maybe it was just an in-joke on the part of the perpetrators?"

Bridgette sniffs, responds, "Laaame," and pulls her breast covering back up to normal, which is just barely high enough to cover her nipples, with the entire upper halves of her breasts exposed for significant cleavage.

Bella, however, clutches a hand into a fist, and exclaims, "Then that is so where we're gonna go! We're gonna infiltrate their base at the castle!"

Kira turns to look at her through the side of her eyes, arms folded still. "Are you sure about that?" she asks in a droll tone.

Bella looks around the ruined site as she replies, "We've knocked out around two dozen of their Kyo clones! How many could they possibly have?"

Kira tilts her head back with exasperation. Being quite savvy with situations like this, she mutters, "Great. Just great. Now we're going to see scads of them."

Teresa narrows her eyes, irritated by Kira's bitter attitude, and says, "Kira, shut up already."

Kira immediately flares up in anger, and snarls, "WHAT DID YOU SAY, PIGTAILS?!" Teresa flinches in fright with a yelp, and clings tighter to Zan.

He keeps an arm around Teresa as he slowly shakes his head and gently pleads, "Kira... Please calm down..."

Kira just growls a little. Zan steps closer to her and gives her a gentle look. She looks back at him with frustrated eyes. When the two lock eyes, Zan can tell that her frustration stems from the difficulty this mission is giving her, as well as that mysterious deeper frustration she has had since she first joined the Entourage a few weeks ago. Now is not the time to address that, but Zan tries to help her calm down. He rests a hand on her shoulder, and they keep their eyes fixed. Zan allows a little Tranquility energy to flow unto Kira, and she accepts this.

Bella, meanwhile, turns her attention to their guests, and asks, "Lyla, Chez Shay, will you help us? We're going to attack the base of the invaders to get our stuff back, defeat them, and drive them out of Eihemland!"

Lyla hesitates. She leans back on her carpet, looking quite nervous. She carefully responds, "We... we'll help... Right Sasha?" She looks at her little companion.

Sasha nods with a grunt, and replies a little less hesitantly, "We will! We'll try..." She already begins to wonder if she is making a mistake.

Chez Shay, however, is very enthusiastic. Holding her Gunbrella at the ready, with that malicious grin still plastered on her face, she exclaims, "Count me in! If only because I'll get to blow up their scraggly hides!" "MOAR!" The Beast echoes with dubious enthusiasm.

Zan stays close to Kira, Teresa feeling just a smidge jealous. He smiles at seeing that they will have supporters in this mission. He gives Kira one more soft look, and she averts her eyes. He stands up, facing the allies. "Lyla, do you still have that ability to expand the size of your carpet?" he inquires.

Lyla looks around for a moment, at her carpet. "Umm... Oh! Yes, I do!" she responds when she recalls that she has that skill.

Zan gently requests, "May we ride with you on the carpet then? We could use just a little rest from all this running around. It's just until we can get our flight gear back."

Lyla forms a happy blush at Zan's gentle demeanor, as well as the possibility to be useful. She acknowledges, "You certainly may!"

She shakes her Tambourines over her head, and her flying carpet doubles in size, surprising Teresa and Kira. Zan steps over and climbs on, sitting behind Lyla with his back to hers. Kira sighs as she climbs on as well, sitting to Lyla's right. Bridgette hops on and sits down by Lyla's left. Bella climbs on, sitting in the front and facing forward. Teresa blinks, not finding a spot. She then blushes when Zan gestures for her to come to him. She lets out a happy giggle, shifting into cute mode, scampers over, and hops to hug Zan. The others watch with mild amusement/annoyance. Teresa then adjusts herself to sit on Zan's lap, and he starts showing her his Pulse Rifle up close and peacefully. Lyla's carpet gracefully rises into the air. Bella points with enthusiasm, and shouts, "Onward! To Eihemland castle! It's time to oust these invaders!"

Lyla's carpet glides east, toward Eihemland City, leaving the demolished construction site behind. After a few moments, everyone realizes the carpet is not moving all that fast. Faster than they can run, but not as swift as they expected. Bella lets out a soft exhale, and slowly turns to look back at Lyla, muttering, "...Lyla..."

Lyla quickly looks distressed, and closes her eyes as she apologizes, "It's carrying six people Bella... I'm sorry..."

Bella looks forward again, sighs uncomfortably, and says, "I guess this beats walking, at least."

After a few more minutes of flight, Zan blinks when he realizes something. He looks at Lyla, then at Chez Shay, then back again, and forms the Amusement Icon in his cybernetic eye. "We have a bit of a dusty situation here," he comments.

Teresa blinks, looks at him inquisitively, and responds, "...Master?"

Zan gestures between the two girls as he speaks with a hint of humor in his tone, "Our allies here... They're flying, using a carpet, and a vacuum cleaner. Can you say 'ironic'?"

The realization of such a silly coincidence befalls the group, and the Amethytus girls start laughing. Even Kira finds this amusing. Lyla and Chez Shay, however, blink, and look at each other. Chez Shay forms a terrifying, evil grin, and Lyla squeals in fear. She cries out, "Oh NO! Chez Shay, please don't! Don't ruin my precious flying carpet!"

Chez Shay's eyes flare wide as she shouts, "But I bet it could use a good VACUUMING!"

With a shriek, Lyla flees from Chez Shay, who races after them with mad laughter. Lyla's carpet moves faster than anyone expected, powered by Lyla's fear, and the group screams like a crowd riding a roller coaster as Lyla tries to escape Chez Shay's crazy pursuit with wild evasive flight maneuvers, including the occasional shuttle loop. This continues as the group heads onward east toward the city of Eihemland.

Several more minutes of crazy flight pass by, with the girls and Zan hanging on for dear life. Bridgette holds on to her hat with one hand, gripping the carpet with her other, as she shouts, "This is exactly what I was dealing with when I was riding with Chez Shay directly! I am REALLY glad I can't get motion sickness!"

Bella shrieks, "Chez Shay, stop already!" and yelps when she nearly falls off the carpet.

Chez Shay continues trying and get at the carpet with her vacuum cleaner anyway, and remarks, "Who woulda thought that bigass carpet could be so evasive! C'mere!"

"NOOO!" Lyla screams, swinging hard to the side to avoid yet another of Chez Shay's rushes.

An energy bolt zips past the group, and they flinch, Lyla, Sasha and Teresa yelping. Chez Shay stops chasing them immediately, and everyone looks for the source. They notice three pale red Formless Kimen approaching at attack drift speed. They fling more bolts of energy at the group. Lyla yelps as she has her carpet shift out of the way as fast as she can. Chez Shay clicks her tongue as she mutters, "Damn... More of those things."

Bella's eyes widen at the sight, and she exclaims, "THREE of them, no less!"

Teresa peers around the others at the enemies ahead, and shouts, "What ARE those things?!"

Zan's eyes are narrowed, though he doesn't actually look angry. He seems more curious, though still wary, as he says, "Formless Kimen... And they're a red version..."

Teresa and Lyla look confused. Seeing this as an opportunity to display her knowledge, Kira forms a smug look and explains, "A Formless Kiman is an Elementoid class creature comprised entirely of Ki energy, also known as Chi or Qi, which is the Energy of the Body. Super physical warriors often use that kind of energy for their attacks, with good examples being Ryu and Goku. Ki is highly resistant to Light, and highly vulnerable to Psi. Since we have no psychics, generic Energy attacks and Bridgette's Voltage will work best. Sorry, Bella, you're useless here."

Bella glares and draws her Compression Phaser Rifle, making Kira flinch. Bella smirks the next moment, and replies, "I already know enough about those stupid things to know my element doesn't work on them. Zan made this for me specifically to keep me from being stuck in a situation like this."

Teresa finds herself admittedly impressed by Kira's explanation, however, and comments, "Wow, Kira, you know a lot about the subject!"

A proud grin expands from her already smug demeanor, and Kira replies, "My SPECIALTY is Elemental Research. Of course I'm going to know a lot about Elements and the creatures comprised by them."

Chez Shay, annoyed by the prattling, speaks up, "Well whatever. I'm sure they explode just as well as anything!" and points her Gunbrella at them, readying to fight.

Zan, still giving the enemies a wary look, warns, "Be careful. Considering they're red, compared to the blue ones we've seen so far, they must be a stronger variant."

The Formless Kimen continue to drift toward the group, casting off bolts of Ki energy. Chez Shay and Lyla dodge as best as they can, and almost everyone returns fire. Chez Shay sprays bullets, The Beast flings missiles, Bella lays down on Lyla's carpet and fires her Compression Phaser Rifle, Lyla shakes her Tambourines while holding them high so as to prevent any of her spray of projectiles from hitting Bella, Sasha projects bombs, Zan shifts to sit sideways on the carpet, Teresa still on his lap, and fires his Pulse Rifle over Lyla's shoulder while Teresa starts focusing her power, and Bridgette casts off Charged Bolts. The air is turned into a cloud of criss-crossing projectiles, and the Formless Kimen shift side to side to avoid as many as they can. Their evasive shifting makes them somewhat difficult to hit for The Beast, Sasha, Bella and Zan, but Lyla's huge spray, Chez Shay's aggressive strafing and Bridgette's mildly-homing electric bolts are impossible to avoid easily. The Formless Kimen continue to shoot at the group as they evade, and one of their bolts strikes Chez Shay. She snarls, and intensifies her assault.

Only Kira does nothing, and her frustration begins to grow again. She wishes she could have successfully extracted the blaster gun from the droid she hijacked back at the construction site. Bella notices this, as she shoots at the enemies. After giving her a look of pity, she says, "...Zan? Do you think you have enough resources to make Kira a weapon?"

Kira looks at Bella in surprise, then looks at Zan. Her disappointment is retained when he slowly shakes his head. He gives them both an apologetic look, and replies, "I'm sorry, Bella, Kira, but I have no reserve resources for building another weapon right now. If I can find something good to reclaim, I will, but I can't at the moment."

Bella frowns, remaining in her laying position for shooting. Kira grumbles, and for now she just stays out of Zan's way as he fires between her and Lyla at the Formless Kimen. As this happens, Teresa quietly, but with growing volume, chants, "Bone... Spear... Bone... Spear... Bone... SPEAR!" She thrusts a hand with the shout, and casts a Bone Spear, a projectile of pure Death energy capable of piercing multiple targets through armor, which nails one of the Formless Kimen, and it jolts from the attack. Teresa gasps in delight the next instant, and cheers, "I did it! Oh-hohoho!"

Zan is highly charmed by her proud little laugh as usual, and speaks in a fatherly tone, "Teresa, you're growing..."

Kira closes her eyes, dismissing it with a scoff, and comments, "Pssh, she can only do that because she's already familiar with how to use that skill."

Teresa, regardless, grins with hubris, and exclaims, "Just praise me already!"

Zan's demeanor darkens slightly, and he gives her a stern frown as he says, "...Teresa..."

Teresa frowns sadly and clings to Zan in response. Kira looks at her and comments, "If you had your scepter, you could help us even more, since the Death element is also good against Ki."

A bolt from one of the Kimen almost hits the group on Lyla's carpet, but Bella blocks it with a Light Screen. She and the others continue to return fire on the Formless Kimen, and one of them performs a new trick that must be unique to the red variant, when it raises its arms and creates a large, red crackling orb above itself. It throws the orb, and it glides toward the group, sweeping out a pair of large, far-reaching beams that swing around wildly. Bella yelps when the beam sweeps across her Light Screen and crashes it. The girls shriek, seeing the beam move to cross over them again, when the orb is blasted by a missile from The Beast and bursts, preventing it from continuing. He takes on a heroic stance, belied by a sharp-toothed sneer, and gestures toward himself as he shouts, "REWARD, PLEASE!"

Chez Shay headslaps him, causing him to jolt, and she shouts, "Shut up and shoot at the enemies!" She quickly dodges a shot from the enemies, and returns fire.

The Beast mutters as he resumes flinging missiles at the enemies, and the fighters on Lyla's carpet continue shooting at them as well. Zan keeps firing his Pulse Rifle, but has been alarmed by the attack the enemies just used, and comments, "That looked like the Red Corona attack..."

Kira keeps low, and remarks, "Is there any other version?"

Zan grimaces. "Just be grateful it wasn't the True Corona attack used by Mobile Type 8..." he mutters.

A look of dread comes over Kira, and she responds. "...Oh crap... No kidding."

Bridgette ignores this minor banter as she scatters Charged Bolts. Her attacks work with only average power, especially due to her lack of a weapon, and she complains, "These guys are tough! So irritating!"

Kira points at her as she chides, "Maybe if you used your Chain Lightning instead of Charged Bolts, this would go quicker!"

Bridgette snaps back, "Using that without my scythe takes a lot out of me, Kira!" and ducks to avoid the narrow miss of a shot.

Zan, however, gives her a tentative look, and carefully says, "Bridgette, we need all the firepower we can muster..."

With an angry grunt, Bridgette casts a Chain Lightning bolt that hits one of the Formless Kimen and arcs off of it to hit the other two at least twice. They jolt from the hits, and continue to return fire. Seeing that they are able to fight back successfully against these enemies, Zan shouts, "Bella! Let's try that trick again!"

Bella nods, and tries to focus her fire on the face of one of the Kimen. Zan keeps his fire focused on its chest. It keeps shifting hard to the side to throw off their aim, aggravating the two. Teresa, seeing that the Kimen are proving very annoying, focuses hard, and after a few moments, casts Cripple on them. Bella grins wide, and exclaims, "Hoho! Good job, Teresa!"

Teresa grins, but is now exhausted, some sweat on her forehead. With the Formless Kimen now greatly slowed down, Bella and Zan can destabilize one of them to the point that it explodes. Sasha's slow-moving bombs finally begin to connect, their bursts significantly damaging the Kimen. Chez Shay focuses her fire on the one that looks most weakened, and The Beast times one of his missiles to hit it in tandem with one of Sasha's bombs. That Kiman is also destroyed, but the third manages to throw another Red Corona orb. The group can't react in time before the orb sweeps one of its beams across Lyla's carpet, hitting her, Bridgette and Bella. The three girls shriek in pain as the beam sears everything it hits. With a frightened yell, Zan calls out a swarm of his Cybranites to start healing the three girls. Teresa becomes terrified for a moment and tightly clings to Zan. Chez Shay becomes absolutely enraged, and flies in front of the crippled Kiman. With a furious roar, she fills its head full of bullets, to the point that its head becomes warped by the solid projectiles constantly passing through its energy body. After long enough of being unable to regenerate its head, the Formless Kiman destabilizes completely, and bursts.

Lyla, Bridgette and Bella are in pain, tears in their eyes, but Zan's focused effort to heal them is already relieving them of their injuries. Chez Shay watches, angry, while Kira has a look of discouragement. Overcome with frustration, Bridgette shrieks in fury, "I HATE NOT HAVING MY CONTOUR BARRIER!"

Bella trembles as the Cybranites heal her, and whimpers, "I know... I know... Me too... My little kitty... In the hands of those invaders... What they doing to her?"

Chez Shay narrows an eye when she finally notices that Bella does not have her cat-hat. Hearing this, she snarks, "Wearing her like the hat she is?"

Bella panics, and yelps, "No! I don't want any of their nasty hair on my kitty!"

Teresa looks closer at Bella, Bridgette and Lyla, and asks, "Are you three ok?"

Lyla sniffles, and wipes the tears from her eyes as the pain fades away, and whimpers, "Yes... Thank you, Zan, for the healing... That really hurt..."

Teresa, calming down, looks directly at Lyla. "Don't you have any more of those potions?" she inquires.

Sasha responds, "We can't just use them willy-nilly! They need to be saved for emergencies and after-battle recovery!"

Kira sniffs in surprise, and mutters, "...Did she just say 'willy-nilly'?"

Bella thrusts a hand forward again, and angrily shouts, "Let's get going! We're wasting time that the enemies could be using to plot another attack!"

Zan does not like to see her distress lead her to an overreaction, and softly says, "Bella..."

She gestures a couple more times and whines, "Come on!" She keeps pointing forward, and gives the others a determined look tainted with frustration.

Lyla has her carpet head onward toward the city, and Chez Shay grunts in irritation as she follows, no longer interested in playing around with chasing Lyla's carpet with her vacuum cleaner. Zan checks on Bridgette too, and helps her calm down from the painful damage she sustained.

Half an hour passes from when the group defeated the trio of Formless Kimen, and they have been flying non-stop toward Eihemland City. The cloudless sky has become filled with stars, and the waxing gibbous moon shines strong in the early night sky. They can see the lights of the city filling the horizon, and soon arrive at the great barrier river that separates the western sub-urban sector from the rest of the city. The girls have gotten their act together by now with encouragement from Zan and are ready to fight again. Lyla promises to be more careful with avoiding attacks, and Chez Shay is now determined to destroy anything that comes close to hurting them. They can clearly see beyond the river, and the city, in the early evening, is actually more active than during the work ours of the day. In fact, the city seems especially active for some reason, with quite a number of people roving about the streets, visiting shops and food facilities. Bella smiles with delight at the sight, and after taking a second to pan her gaze across the man-made scenery, she comments, "There it is... Eihemland city... And at night, it is especially beautiful..."

Zan only gives it half a glance, and responds, "Hnn..."

Sensing his lack of interest, Teresa reacts, "Master?"

Zan gives her a gentle look, and shares this with the others, but his tone clearly indicates disinterest as he comments, "I have never liked big cities."

Bridgette, however, smiles warmly and says, "Heh... You have always been a country man."

Teresa flinches, then scowls, her pigtails bristling slightly, as she exclaims, "My master is NOT a country bumpkin!" She clings to him, giving Bridgette a perturbed look.

Kira smirks, and points at her with taunting eyes as she points out, "Teresa, you do realize that you technically live in the country now, too."

Teresa flinches again, and her eye twitches. A drop of sweat forms, and she stammers, "Erk... I... I am NOT a country bumpkin either!"

The next instant, Teresa flinches for a third, and hardest, time, when she finds Chez Shay right in front of her. She speaks menacingly, "Who said something about bumpkins? Do you have a problem with bumpkins?" and gives Teresa a dark look.

Teresa becomes intimidated when she realizes that Chez Shay technically lives in the country too, and she reminds her far too much of a cross between Lavily Lalula Lu and Metallia. She turns to hide her face in Zan's chest, and Chez Shay snerks at the sight.

The group passes over the river, high in the sky, and enters Eihemland City. But the very moment they enter the city territory, a small swarm of Camera Drones suddenly rise up around the group, focusing spotlights on them. The droids emit an alarm noise, causing Bridgette to shout, "CRAP!" and Zan to exclaims, "Here we go!"

Chez Shay's maniacal look takes over her face again as she cackles, "Hahahaha! Now THIS is what I was expecting! I was HOPING for this!"

Beyond the Camera Drones, a fleet of Attack Drones, Shield Drones, and a troop of blue Formless Kimen swarms toward the group. On the rooftops of the buildings below are a small army of Kyo clones, visible in the night darkness with their fists flaming. They are all focusing their power into Fireballs, and are ready to throw them. The citizens of the city below hear the noise, and see the swarms of droids moving across the night sky. They quickly become nervous, and when someone shouts, pointing, everyone within visual range spots Chez Shay and Lyla. The sight of the psychotic Bomber Witch having returned to the area causes restlessness to ripple through the crowd. Bella glowers at the approaching armada of enemies. "Grr... Lyla! Keep going! Don't stop for anything! Get us to the castle! We'll fight the enemies! You just focus on dodging!" she commands.

Lyla is very definitely afraid, and whispers, "I can't... I..."

Zan places a hand on her shoulder, causing her to flinch, and she twists to look at him with terrified eyes. He returns the look with a soft, warm gaze that eases her a little, as he speaks, "Lyla... Trust us... We will work together to win this, but you must be confident..."

Lyla, eased up by his tranquility and affirmation, whispers, "I... I'll try..."

Zan has Teresa climb off his lap and sit with her back to Lyla's. She watches as he stands up on the carpet, Pulse Rifle at the ready. She quickly becomes uneasy seeing him standing up on a moving platform, and yelps, "Don't fall, master!"

He gives her an appreciative smile that converts into resolution, as he replies, "My cybernetics won't allow that to happen."

Bella thrusts forward with her gun three times, as she shouts, "GO GO GO!"

Lyla heads forward with a scream, terrified but determined. With a hearty laugh, Chez Shay charges onward with Lyla, and they move toward the crowd of droids. Within moments, the sky becomes filled with projectiles. Three Attack Droids rush Lyla, but Bella sweeps her phaser beam across them, damaging them. Zan turns constantly, firing his Pulse Rifle non-stop, and shoots down a Camera Drone and two Attack Drones. One gets close enough for him to smack with his rifle, and it flies off into another droid. Chez Shay swoops about, spraying bullets everywhere. She dodges a Fireball from below, and chucks a grenade. The Kyo clones on the roof yelp and leap away when the grenade explodes, damaging the roof of the building, and causing debris to fall to the street below, sending citizens scurrying for cover. A Formless Kiman draws near, and The Beast and Sasha attack it with their explosive projectiles. It launches some bolts, one of which nearly hits Bella before Lyla dodges it, and the Kiman is destroyed the next moment by the overpowering ballistics of the two tiny supporters. Bridgette swings her arms in front of her, casting off the erratically flying Charged Bolts in volleys that damage everything they come in contact with. The Shield Drones block these as they would anything, returning fire with their beam cannons, and Lyla desperately tries to avoid the storm of shots, as a Fireball roars by, narrowly missing her carpet. She has tears in her eyes, trembling in terror, screaming at every given moment, but is pressing onward through the storm. The crowd below is growing intensely more restless, but as they see the invaders' forces being shot down, some people in the crowd begin to get excited. Some even cheer when one of the Formless Kiman is destroyed, and the battle is turning into a sensation for the crowd.

Lyla shifts her carpet about as much as she can to avoid the flying projectiles, but never stops moving forward over the city. She does not shoot at the enemies, focusing all of her efforts on just avoiding them and their shots, and tries to rely on her friends to fight them off. At a point, the projectiles become too intense, and Lyla shrieks Sasha's name. Sasha darts in front of them, retreating into her shell, and produces her huge, rune-filled sphere that slows projectiles that enter it. This provides a much-needed reprieve from the storm, and allows Bella's group to destroy more droids while Lyla gets out of the way of the clustering projectiles. The moment she gets past the shots, Sasha ends the sphere, having used up her energy for the moment to create it, and the projectiles spew onward behind the group and away from them. Lyla keeps flying, passing over block after block of the city, heading northeast, to where the castle is located.

A number of Shield Drones forms a wall in front of Lyla, and glide backward at the speed she's moving at, firing their shots at her constantly. Bella keeps a Light Screen up to block their shots as much as possible, though some slip through and strike Zan, Bridgette and Lyla's carpet. They take these hits in stride, pained but determined. The droids, however, don't take into account Chez Shay's free and fast movement, compared to Lyla's slow gunship-like movement. Chez Shay gets behind them, and draws a Skill Card. It depicts a humongous fireball: the Fire Bomb Card. Once activated, her Gunbrella expands to ridiculous size, the barrel the width of a thick tree. She fires an enormous Fireball at the back of the droids, creating an explosion that destroys all but those at the outer corners of the wall they formed, and those get scattered. With maniacal laughter, Chez Shay turns her huge gun and fires a second Fireball into the fleet of droids swarming around them, incinerating any that get hit, before the Fireball hits a raised railway line, damaging it. Chez Shay turns her gun to fire the last Fireball she has available down at a thick cluster of Kyo clones on a large rooftop. The Kyo clones yell and holler in fear as they scramble to get out of the way, but the blast sends most of them flying off of the roof, and catches the building on fire. Zan is horrified to see this, but is too busy shooting at the swarming droids to yell at Chez Shay, who just keeps laughing. The people in the city run, screaming, from the flaming building. The Fire Bomb Card wears off, and Chez Shay's gun reverts to its original shape, but now is at its third tier, allowing Chez Shay to spray rockets. She goes wild.

Lyla has been flying onward during this battle. Teresa has been watching with excitement and nervousness. Kira has been watching with a great deal of frustration. Even if she had her gear, an aerial battle like this isn't her forte, period. In the distance, the venerable castle of Eihemland comes into view, visible even in the night sky. Bella becomes excited on seeing it, points, and calls out, "There! We're almost there!"

Bridgette, swinging her arms frantically to cast off Voltage attacks, shouts, "There's too many! The sky is FILLED with these things, and they just keep coming!" She casts off another Lightning bolt, hitting a droid and destroying it, but more just move in to take its place.

Lyla, trembling badly, eyes flowing with tears, whimpers, "I'm so scared... I'm so scared..." Teresa flinches on hearing this, and knows how it feels to be scared. She is not scared right now, more impressed by Zan's determined efforts.

Bella sweeps her Compression Phaser Rifle's beams around, damaging anything she can. Bridgette casts a Chain Lighting attack, and it bounces around on three additional droids the moment it hits one random droid, most of them dropping out of the air like flies. Zan keeps firing his Pulse Rifle, cybernetic eye displaying the Determination Icon once again. Another Fireball comes roaring up from a Kyo clone below, and manages to hit Lyla's carpet, catching its fringes on fire. She shrieks in fear. Sasha responds by reactivating her projectile-catching energy sphere, giving the group another chance to escape the storm. Chez Shay keeps spraying bullets, flying circles around Lyla's carpet, her shots damaging everything they hit, but for the Shield Drones that block. Several of them gather to orbit around Chez Shay and try to shoot her, but The Beast interferes with their tactic, getting behind them once again to shoot those that pass in front of them with missiles. Sasha is forced to end her sphere sooner when a Fireball gets caught in the sphere and gets dangerously close to hitting her in the center. She rejoins the group again and keeps dispensing bombs. The sheer number of droids in the air assures that something gets hit by these bombs, and debris is raining down from the fliers. The people in the city are extremely agitated, though even more are cheering them on now, and the citizens are growing rowdy.

Zan is shot in the side by a droid and yelps, returning fire. A shot zips over Bella's back, only missing because she's laying down still, sweeping her phaser across everything in sight. The Fireballs from the Kyo clones below dart by all around Lyla, warming the air itself. While she isn't bothered much by heat, everyone else has broken into a sweat from the sheer adrenaline rush this battle has proved to be. Unfortunately, one of the Fireballs nails the underside of Lyla's carpet directly, and she squeals in fear. The carpet is now burning even more. Bridgette is shot in the shoulder, shrieking in response, and casts a bolt of Lightning to retaliate. Kira ducks a shot and snarls. She just shakes her fist at the droids. Chez Shay is being shot constantly, but is too excited to be bothered, spraying rockets that fill the sky with explosions. Stray rockets strike the city buildings as well, intensifying the agitation of the crowds. A troop of five Formless Kimen glide toward Lyla, flinging bolts. She dodges them as best she can. Sasha and The Beast try their best to deal with these enemies, and manage to destroy one of them before Lyla passes by the troop. They turn to pursue, still firing their shots, and one hits Zan in the chest. He grunts in pain, frightening Teresa, but he just keeps on firing, his Cybranites darting about himself and the women, slowly healing their injuries.

Eihemland castle is even closer, but Lyla's carpet is burning, and taking shots from the droids. Sasha has nearly finished regenerating her energy for another projectile-catching sphere when Bella shouts, catching the attention of the others. They see ahead of them the large combat unit that is an Enforcer droid rise up in front of them amidst the projectile storm, with four shields protecting its front, which it keeps aimed at them. Amidst the storm of projectiles from all the smaller droids, the Enforcer adds to it with sprays of small red orbs. Lyla tries desperately to avoid these, some of them grazing her or her companions. Sasha reacts by darting between the Enforcer and Lyla, and creates her projectile-slowing sphere. Chez Shay swoops to the droid's side to pummel it with her rockets, but is shocked when it takes these hits without much reaction. It casts off some sparks, but keeps on firing at Lyla, its shots bunching up at the edge of Sasha's shield. Chez Shay is blasted by a Fireball from below and yowls angrily from the hit. The Enforcer stops firing, and starts to build a charge. Lyla moves out of the way of the clustered projectiles, allowing Sasha to release the field, and the projectiles fly onward away from them. Bella's eyes widen as the Enforcer builds its energy charge. Lyla shrieks in fear when she sees two red Formless Kimen arrive and move beside the Enforcer to build their own charges. She starts to panic, bringing about great concern in the others. Bella shouts, "Lyla! Hang on!"

Lyla shakes her head in utter terror, and squeals, "I'm not going to make it... I'm not going to make it!"

Zan only has time to shout, "Lyla!"

She screams when the Enforcer and the Formless Kimen fire large, streaming red beams at the group. Lyla tries to avoid it by swerving upward, but does not move in time before the beams cross each other beneath her and severely damage her carpet. The carpet bursts out of existence from the damage. Chez Shay's pupils shrink in shock at the sight. Bella, Lyla, Bridgette, Kira, Teresa and Zan start screaming as they plummet to the ground below. Chez Shay, The Beast and Sasha take off after them. The crowd in the street they are falling toward scatter with screams. As they fall, Zan reaches out and manages to grab Teresa and Bridgette. He pulls them close and flips in the air so that his back will take the impact. Seeing this HIGHLY alarms them, and causes Bridgette to shriek, "ZAN! NO!" while Teresa shrieks, "MASTER!" Zan whispers into their ears, "Just brace yourselves..." They are terrified.

Lyla screams steadily, tears flowing from her eyes. Sasha flies close enough to Lyla for her to snatch the oil lamp turtle, and she strains to slow Lyla's fall. Chez Shay swoops in and grabs Kira's hand, and Kira jolts. Bella sees herself speeding toward a sidewalk tree and braces for impact. With a violent thud, Zan hits the ground back first, and he, Bridgette and Teresa grunt loudly. Bella yelps when she crashes into the tree branches, breaks through several of them, and drops out of the tree to land on the sidewalk, once again landing on her rump. She yelps in pain. Lyla lands on her feet, dropping to her knees the next instant, and grunts. Chez Shay flies to the ground toward Zan, releasing Kira to land on her feet in the street. The droids swarm about above the group, and the Enforcer and Formless Kimen loom in the air above. Kyo clones gather at the rooftop edges to look down at them with smirks and frowns. The citizens remain under the cover of street objects, building windows, storefronts, and corners, watching warily.

~Waypoint 15: ...Into the Fire~

As Zan, Bridgette and Teresa lay there, the girls anxiously check on him. They grip him, shake him, and Teresa fretfully squeals, "Master! Master!" while Bridgette frantically cries, "Zan, you stupid idiot! What were you thinking?!"

They stare at him as he smiles weakly, and a mild spark arcs up his cybernetic ear. His smile surprises them, disrupting their anxiety, and calms them just slightly. He reaches up to touch their faces, bringing about blushes, and calmly replies, "I was thinking of you two. I'm ok. I was ready this time, and my back is a lot harder than you realize. My spine is made of crystal metal, remember?"

Bridgette rests a hand on the back of his as he touches her face, as she shouts, "But your internal organs are not! If you start coughing up blood..." She cuts herself off, the thought too distressing for both her and Teresa.

They get off of him as he sits up. Another spark arcs up his ear, and his Cybranites are darting about repairing damage to his cybernetics, as well as Bridgette's injuries. Seeing that he does indeed seem fine, Teresa finally just throws herself into Zan to cling to him, and Bridgette does the same, the two trying to calm down. Chez Shay lands the next moment and runs up to check on them. With a weird combination of hilarity, horror and admiration, she shouts, "That was an absolutely crazy thing to do! And I should know. Are you ok Zan?!"

He gives her a confident look, replies, "I'm fine," and sees the others recovering, but also sees the swarm of droids overhead and the looming Kyo clones. His eyes narrow, and he cautions, "But our situation has only gotten worse..."

Bella staggers to her feet and rubs her backside. By now her top is completely dried up, but she's covered in sweat. Several parts of her clothing are torn and have twigs sticking out of them. She picks the bits out as she looks around, and recognizes this as the street with the electronics store she passed through earlier in the day. There is a store employee trying to replace the window that was damaged when Bella knocked a Formless Kiman into it. He's staring at her in terror. He promptly hides in the doorway of his store. Lyla's scream is heard, and everyone turns to see three Kyo clones drop down in front of her. Three more drop in front of Bella, and she yelps. Another three drop down in front of Kira, and she clicks her tongue in aggravation, teeth gritted and eyes narrowed. Eight Kyo clones drop down all around Zan, Teresa, Bridgette and Chez Shay. Droids ease in from all directions, ready to open fire. The Enforcer, damaged by Chez Shay's rockets, leaves, instead of joining in the fight. The red Formless Kimen remain, however, and are joined by other blue ones in the area to surround the street. The citizens are hiding, but observing, and a crowd has formed at the two ends of the street.

Bridgette glowers as fiercely as she can at the Kyo clones. Teresa is incredibly annoyed, and just a tad nervous. Being right next to Zan helps, but this is a grim situation. Lyla scrambles to her feet, trembling with fear, and Sasha is hiding behind her, also quite afraid. Kira desperately wishes that she could fight, but knows better than to try. She takes a step back. The Kyo clones facing her ready themselves to chase her. Bella looks at the three fearsome Kyo clones standing before her. They are in fighting stances, waiting for the moment to strike. An extremely distressed look on her face, her thoughts spin with anxiety, (I am so tired... So tired of these brutish Kyo clones and their dogged persistence. So tired of this pain from getting knocked around without my Contour Barrier. So tired of this _frustration_ from not having my gear. I miss flying... I miss my kitty... We were so close... And now we're in a really difficult situation.) She sees Kira, takes note of the fact that she's preparing to run, rather than fight, and knows that she is probably the most vulnerable of the group at the moment. She grimaces, and thinks, (I'm so gonna get chewed out later by Kira, I just know it.) She carefully passes her view over everyone else as they stare down their foes, and also knows that one slight movement will start the fight anew. She laments, (I'm sorry everyone...) She closes her eyes and takes a breath, causing the Kyo clones facing her to brace themselves, and she finishes her thought, (But please fight just a little longer!)

Bella suddenly points in Kira's direction, generating Light energy, and a flare, twice as bright as a Camera Drone's, goes off. The Kyo clones readying to attack Kira yelp in pain, blinded by the flare, though Kira finds herself unaffected. She looks in surprise at Bella, and watches as Bella leaps out of the way as the Kyo clones lunge at her. Kira figures out immediately that Bella made that move to support her, but finds herself mildly offended by the fact that Bella thinks she is completely defenseless. She would disprove such folly thinking, but Bella is now under attack. The droids in the air immediately open fire on the group. The Kyo clones lunge to attack their targets. The Formless Kimen around the street start drifting inward, firing bolts of Ki energy at every opportunity. The lull in the storm has broken.

Bella leaps out of the way as a Kyo clone throws a heavy flaming punch at her. She counterattacks with a streaming shot from her Compression Phaser Rifle. The Kyo clone is knocked back, but a second one casts a Dark Thrust attack. Bella narrowly evades this with a hop, and swipes her left hand down mid-hop for a Light Slash that jolts the Kyo clones in front of her. One lunges, attempting to grab her, but grabs her rifle instead, and she shoots him for it, knocking him back. The Kyo clones crowd in, throwing punches and yelling angrily. Suddenly taking a shot from a droid behind and above her frightens Bella. She backs up, thrusting a hand to release a Cat Bullet, and while the Kyo clones are distracted by this, she takes note of the tree that broke her fall. She dashes over to it, and scrambles up into its branches. The Kyo clones flinch, and snarl, then yell in pain when a huge electric shockwave from Bridgette hits everything in the area. They quickly recover, however.

Kira finally decides to run from the Kyo clones in front of her, as they are still blind and fretful over their loss of sight. She jumps and ducks and rolls to avoid shots from the droids and Kimen, and throws herself feet-first at one of the Kyo clones in front of the terrified Lyla for a drop kick. Even though she is small, the momentum of her weight suddenly and unexpectedly coming against him is enough to knock him over, and into the other two Kyo clones. Lyla flinches at the sight, and while this quick rescue is relieving, she is still panic-stricken and terrified. She cries out, "Kira! What do I do?!"

Kira harshly swipes a hand to the side as she snarls, "You can still use your Tambourines, right?! Fight back already!"

Lyla flinches when she remembers this, and starts shaking her Tambourines to spray bolts out. Her shots start hitting everything from Kyo clones to the droids and Formless Kimen in the air. Bridgette's massive electric shockwave roars through the area, startling Lyla, but her shots cause everything hit by them to jolt. One droid takes too much damage and drops to the ground to break apart. Lyla smiles when she realizes that she can at least do something. Sasha gets a little confidence back too when she sees this, and releases a bomb to pop one of the Kyo clones still in front of them, knocking him over. But one of the Kyo clones angrily forces himself through her spray of shots and throws a flaming punch. It strikes Lyla's right shoulder, breaking the tiny strap of her purple scale bikini-like top, and exposing her right breast in the process. She squeals in pain, staggers back, then promptly turns to run. Kira snarls, and runs after Lyla, Sasha following. The Kyo clones move to pursue, only to be blasted off their feet by Chez Shay, who is so overexcited by the chaos that she has gone berserk. Laughing madly, she is rapid-fire launching rockets everywhere, hitting droids, Kimen, Kyo clones, buildings, benches, trees, everything. And things are catching fire as a result of her and the Kyo clones.

The moment the fight starts, Chez Shay immediately opens fire on the Kyo clones leaping in to attack her, Zan, Teresa and Bridgette. She sprays rockets from her launcher, and The Beast resumes flinging missiles, the blasts scattering all of the Kyo clones that get near. She shortly jumps back onto her vacuum cleaner to fly into the air, and dodge the storm of projectiles from the droids. Zan, Bridgette and Teresa get to their feet in time to block attacks. Zan blocks a leaping punch, and grabs the Kyo clone in return, then sends him flying with a foot to the gut. Bridgette blocks a hard kick, and discharges Voltage into the Kyo clone the next instant, shocking him and throwing him back. Teresa ducks a left hook, her pigtails being struck instead, partially wrecking them, and she yelps. The Kyo clones closest to her have extremely wary looks, and she takes note of that. It is obvious by now they are afraid of her tar abilities. This keeps her confidence strong. But she still needs to focus to build energy for her skills, and with enemies immediately in front of her, she can't do anything. She retreats between Zan and Bridgette, the two nearly back-to-back. They sandwich Teresa between them, and she starts to focus as best as she can in her shiveringly-nervous state. Zan is shot by an energy bolt from a droid, and jolts. He quickly draws his Pulse Rifle, in time to use it to block another punch from a Kyo clone, and smacks the clone in the face with his rifle, staggering him back, then shoots him a couple of times to throw him off his feet. Zan takes every opening he can get between fending off a Kyo clone to shoot at the droids in the air, and manages to shoot one down. It falls on a Kyo clone, knocking him over. Bridgette shrieks, raising both fists into the air with heavy charges of electricity, and swings her arms down to the ground, once again flashing her backside when her short skirt flies up in reaction. This happens pretty much right in Teresa's face, causing her to flinch and avert her eyes. Bridgette casts forth another Nova, hitting everything in the street. Several droids crash down, and all of the Kyo clones close by her are thrown off their feet. She looks at the enemies the moment after, and glowers at those that crowd in to take their defeated allies' places. She loudly complains, "Boy is THIS all too familiar! I already had to fight an entire army a couple of weeks ago! This is RIDICULOUS! They're CRAWLING OUT OF THE WOODWORK!"

Teresa looks at Bridgette, noting that she's more irritated than anything, which is actually quite normal. She comments, "At least you're not completely flipping out this time!"

Bridgette gives Teresa a nod, and she is definitely irritated, rather than frightened like she was when she had to go back to Neverland. She responds, "I'm not afraid of THESE stupid punks, but they ARE driving me NUTS!" She turns her attention toward an inward-rushing group of foes, and casts a Chain Lightning bolt to strike and scatter them.

Zan, Bridgette and Teresa maintain their position, entirely in defensive mode, and the thoughts of defeat begin to creep into their minds. They have no idea how they're going to get out of this situation. Even Zan finds himself growing worried. The Kyo clones keep coming, reminding him of the Zerg, or perhaps the clone army of the Galactic Empire. That latter thought reminds Zan of the appreciation he has for the fact these Kyo clones do not have ranged weapons. However, he still has no idea how NESTS managed to get enough resources to produce such a vast army in the relatively short time since he last had to contend with them. Worse still, they have clearly fallen into the heart of the NESTS-overrun city. It seems as though every last man of the NESTS army is moving in to their position.

Swooping about wildly in the air, Chez Shay is spraying rockets in every direction. She is drawing most of the attention of the droids, since she is in the air with them. Her rockets strike everything, from enemies to buildings, and fire is spreading everywhere. The people watching the fight from the street edges and the surrounding buildings are feeling a combination of terror and excitement. They want these Kyo clones out of their lives too, but these heroes battling them are at a severe disadvantage, and are using an uncontrollable weapon in relation to having Chez Shay as an ally. Grumblings begin to roll through the crowds on the streets. The two red Formless Kimen decide to focus on Chez Shay, and fling bolts at her. She and The Beast retaliate by firing their ballistics at them, damaging them steadily. Chez Shay gets shot by a bolt from a Shield Drone from behind, and snarls. She draws a Skill Card. This one depicts a flying witch, with projectiles firing out of her back: the Tail card. Once she activates it, and resumes firing, raw energy shots also fire from the back of her vacuum cleaner, doubling the number of shootdowns she gets as she flies about, avoiding the shots from the Formless Kimen. One of them produces a Red Corona to throw, but The Beast is quick to shoot the orb with a missile and destroy it. Chez Shay laughs crazily, and gets up close to one of the red Formless Kimen, blasting it nearly point blank with a series of rockets, and destroying it. She is shot the next instant by the other Formless Kiman, and yells angrily at it.

The Kyo clones attacking Bella are trying to get her out of the tree. One grabs the tree and shakes it. Bella stays perched, scoffs, and shoots the Kyo clone with her Compression Phaser Rifle, causing him to stagger back. Another leaps in and punches the tree, and Bella staggers, but manages to stay in its branches. She shoots at that Kyo clone too, but he jumps back to avoid the shot. A third leaps in and flame-kicks the tree, and it jolts very hard. Bella yelps, just barely managing to keep her perch in the branches. She shoots at that Kyo clone as well, and he jolts from the hit. The Kyo clones glower at her, and one of them shakes his fist at her. She snerks at this, and confidently replies, "You won't be shaking THIS cat from her tree!"

The Kyo clones grunt in irritation, and look at each other. They nod, then ignite their fists, alarming Bella. They pull back, and throw Fireballs up into the tree, instantly catching it on fire. Bella shrieks, and leaps out to escape, landing on one of the Kyo clones in the process and bringing him flat to the ground. Bella only has time to look up before she is punched in the face, again. She falls off the Kyo clone, and emits that distinctive cat-like shriek. She throws herself to her feet, grips her face with her free hand and screams, "I HATE YOU!" She turns and runs from the Kyo clones toward Zan, and they chase after her.

Running from the battle, stricken with fear, and apparently not aware of her exposed breast, Lyla dashes into an open-front store. There are a few frightened people in the back. Lyla scrambles around behind a counter. She hunkers down and trembles. Sasha chases her into the store, and when Lyla hides, Sasha moves close, looking at her mistress' terrorized countenance. She pleads, "I'm scared too! But we need to help our friends, Lyla!"

Lyla gives Sasha a miserable look, then touches the spot on her shoulder where she was punched, and winces from the pain. She then notices her exposed breast, and tremblingly starts trying to fix her top. She grabs the portion of the strap that is hanging against her back, as she cries, "I can't... I can't fight them... I can't do anything right! I'm so useless! I couldn't even fly right to get us to the castle! Nothing I do is ever enough!" With some difficulty, she ties the two portions of the strap together, successfully securing her right breast.

"SHUT UP!" Kira belts from overhead, causing Lyla to shriek, and she sees that Kira has found her hiding spot. Kira is laying on the top of the counter, looking down at her with enraged eyes, and she chastises her, "You're not kidding! You can't even HIDE very well, with all that blubbering!"

Lyla cries, and Kira grabs her, trying to pull her out. Lyla reacts with immediate rejection, screams, "NOOO!" and yanks against Kira, resulting in dragging her down into her hiding spot. She brings hand over Kira's mouth to cover it and keep her from making any sounds, and gets her cheek pinched and pulled by the furious Kira, resulting in her reacting with an, "OWWW!"

Sasha is aghast at Lyla's panic, and squeals, "Lyla! Get it together!"

Kira is extremely tempted to bite Lyla's hand that covers her mouth, as she struggles to get out of Lyla's fear-empowered grip. A trio of Formless Kimen move to the front of the store and look in. The people in the back hide as well.

Zan and Bridgette hold their ground against the Kyo clones. Zan keeps firing his Pulse Rifle at a clone until he falls over, only for another Kyo clone to leap in and kick Zan's rifle, forcing it down. Zan retaliates by throwing a roundhouse kick that knocks the Kyo clone onto his back. Bridgette keeps the Kyo clones in front of her at bay with wave after wave of Charged Bolts. Those that are hit jolt him hard from the concentrated electric projectiles. Bridgette creates a large orb of electricity and sends it flying forward. It strikes any Kyo clone, droid or Formless Kiman that it gets close to with a lightning bolt, destroying a few droids and sending a Kyo clone flying against a building, knocking him out. Yet another Kyo clone lunges in at Zan, and manages to grab his gun. The two grapple for a moment, and the Kyo clone finds himself out-matched by Zan's cybernetically-augmented strength. He wrenches his gun free, smashes the butt of it into the Kyo clone's face, and kicks him away. He then sees Bella running toward him, and the chasing Kyo clones behind her. He shoots at them with his Pulse Rifle, staggering one of them out of his pursuit. Bridgette shrieks when she is shot by one of the droids from above, and retaliates with another Lightning bolt. Teresa, shivering with fear, spots Bella running toward them, tears in her eyes and Kyo clones pursuing her still. When Zan shoots at them, Teresa thrusts a hand and tosses a Tar Blob over Bella's head at them. They instantly spot it, recoil, and yelp, "OH GOD!" as they avoid the Tar Blob as though it could cause instant death. This HIGHLY amuses Teresa, but seeing the punched and crying Bella upsets her the next moment. Bella reaches her friends, her face in great pain, and she wails, "I HATE THEM! I HATE THEM SO MUCH! What is this _fixation_ they have with punching me in the face?!"

Teresa reaches toward Bella sadly, and whimpers, "Bella..." Zan sees her reaction, and his cybernetic eye shifts to the Anger Icon. Bridgette, too, is angered by this. Bella joins the three in holding their ground against the tide of enemies, and starts sweeping her Compression Phaser Rifle around, shooting any enemy she sees. She stops for a moment to cast a Cat Bullet, and it distracts a number of enemies with its recursive claw-shaped projectiles. The Kyo clones are having a hard time getting close to the cluster, since they are all spraying shots around like an entrenched machine gun nest. One Kyo clone casts a Dark Thrust attack, but Zan neutralizes it by shooting it with his rifle. He returns fire on the Kyo clone, who leaps out of the way of the shots. Teresa continues to focus, but is starting to panic now, the four completely surrounded by blazing enemies.

Chez Shay, too is surrounded, but not the least bit afraid. In fact, she can barely contain herself as she continues her rampage against the army of enemies. The rain of projectiles from the air is finally starting to diminish thanks to her. While more droids are arriving, others are being destroyed rapidly by the myriad ballistics she and The Beast are flinging. Unfortunately, the city block is also being demolished, her projectiles damaging everything from the enemies to the street and buildings, and nearly everything is on fire now. One of her rockets blows out a chunk of a building and it falls onto a Kyo clone. Chez Shay laughs like a lunatic at the sight. Zan, grappling with another of the Kyo clones who managed to get a grip on his gun, sees this, and scowls, very disapproving of her lack of concern for controlling collateral damage, but can't turn his attention to that right now. The people of the city are growing ever more agitated from the sheer chaos and spreading fire. The overwhelming fear of the Kyo clones moving in to attack has the people on the brink of panic. At the same time, anger is starting to take hold in many of the people. Chez Shay dukes it out with the remaining red Formless Kiman. It fires a powerful, steady beam of energy at her, and she swoops and swerves to avoid letting it hit, cackling as she flies. She counter-attacks the moment it ends the beam with a volley of rockets, and her tail gun damages a number of droids as well. Stray rockets fly into building walls, which crash down on a couple of Kyo clones, and send them flying. Sudden yelling erupts from the crowds at the upper street crossing, catching the attention of Bella's group, as well as the Kyo clones.

Kira struggles to get Lyla to let her go, and they can hear all of the chaos outside. The people in the back of the open-front store scream, and Lyla, Sasha and Kira freeze when they see the people scramble out of the way of Ki bolts striking the objects at the back of the store. Lyla whimpers audibly, and Kira holds still, tense. For the moment, she allows Lyla to keep her hand over Kira's mouth, as though she were the one making all the position-revealing noise. Sasha yelps, and the two look up, seeing one of the Formless Kimen looming over the counter, looking down at them with narrowed eyes. It raises its arms to prepare an attack, and Lyla screams. Kira throws herself out of Lyla's grip at this moment, grabs Lyla's arm and yanks her out from behind the counter, narrowly avoiding a double-blast from the Formless Kiman that destroys the shelves behind the counter and sends the two girls rolling forward. Lyla's poorly-tied top strap comes undone, and her breast becomes visible again. The other two Kimen start flinging bolts, and Kira throws Lyla out of the way, sending her to the floor beside a ruined refrigeration unit, before jumping over a shot and rolling behind a free-standing shelf to avoid another. The blasts destroy the shelf, and Kira runs out from behind it toward Lyla, who has sat up, terrified, once again not noticing her exposed breast. Kira snarls, "Get your floaty pants in gear, Lyla!"

Lyla just sits there, unable to think straight, and screams, "HELP!" "RUN, YOU IDIOT!" Kira shrieks, as she grabs Lyla and yanks her up to her feet.

They manage to scramble to avoid the Kimen's shots, and slip past them back out into the street. They nearly run into a Kyo clone the moment they exit the store, and Kira, in a rage, pounces on him with a snarl. She punches his face repeatedly with her little fist while gripping his hair with her other hand. As she punches him, Kira snarls, "I!" punch, "WANT!" punch!, "MY!" PUNCH!, "STUFF!" PUNCH!, "BACK!", PUNCH!

The Kyo clone panics at having the angry little girl on his face and staggers around, trying to pry her off. Sasha pops him from behind with a bomb, and Kira leaps off as the Kyo clone is thrown over. She scrambles over to the frightened Lyla, and grabs her arm again. She points with an angry grunt at Bella's group, and they take off for them. The Formless Kimen pursue. They arrive just in time to hear the shouting erupt from the crowds.

Plowing through the terrified crowd comes Kusanagi, with a fresh battalion of Kyo clones. While the ones on the street have been worn out from the drawn-out fight, these Kyo clones are ready and raring to go. One of them shoves a young man over as he moves through the crowd, and the people are shouting in fright and anger. Kusanagi yells at the crowd to mind their place, but the people have entered a state of outrage, having placed their hopes on these heroes. Kusanagi's group enters the burning, battle-damaged street. The battle-worn Kyo clones become relieved to see reinforcements. The Alarm Icon takes over Zan's cybernetic eye. Teresa's and Bella's eyes widen at the sight. Chez Shay's excitement shifts to irritation. Even she isn't sure she can take on that many fresh enemies. The Beast gazes out at the blazing enemies moving inward, and grumbles, "WE'RE IN TROUBLE..." Chez Shay just growls, "Grrr..."

Bridgette brings a hand to her head in anger, and shouts, "You gotta be freakin' KIDDING me!"

Teresa is starting to panic, and yelps, "M-master! What are we gonna do?!"

Zan grimaces, still being forced to hold off the enemies around them, and mutters, "I don't know..." This renders Teresa even more frightened, which he notices.

Kusanagi, at the end of the street, sees Bella's group, his targets, ahead, and shouts with a grin, "Party's over, girlies!" He thrusts a point toward them, and yells, "Get them! Dead or alive, we're taking them down!"

The Kyo clones rush toward Bella's group, who immediately open fire on them with their projectiles. Zan fires his Pulse Rifle at them and the droids in the air over them. Bridgette, expending as much energy as she can muster, flings Chain Lightning bolts, but by this point she is running on fumes. Bella sweeps her phaser, and takes a moment to blind some of the more worn-out Kyo clones with another powerful flare when they try to join their newly-arrived allies. Teresa has become too scared to do anything, staying between Zan and Bridgette and watching in fear as the yelling Kyo clones charge toward them. She yelps with fright when Kira, Lyla and Sasha join the group from behind. Recognizing them, Teresa turns her attention back toward the incoming enemies. Chez Shay positions herself over Bella's group, firing her rockets at anything that moves, and The Beast throws missiles as fast as he can. Other Kyo clones and Formless Kimen draw toward the group from behind as well, causing Lyla to scream at the sight of them. Kira drops into a fighting stance, but even she is afraid now. In response to this, Zan, Bridgette and Bella rotate positions, with Zan and Bridgette in the front to face the new, healthy arrivals, while Bella shifts to the back to face the more worn-down enemies there. She is no better off for morale either, however, tears still in her eyes from being punched. Teresa is shivering, Kira eases up when she sees that she's being protected, and Sasha whispers to Lyla that her breast is exposed again. She tries to retie the strap, but it is too torn now to hold together. She resorts to holding the strap with a hand. But these actions are more automatic than anything, as her fear of this terrible situation is what dominates her thoughts, and she takes no real action to fight. Bella, desperate to keep the enemies at bay, sweeps slashes of Light at the enemies moving in behind. Bella's group has taken on a classic last-stand defensive position. They are protected from above by Chez Shay, who has an unlimited supply of rockets to fire. But the group is now completely hemmed in, as the enemies crowd around them.

Several of the fresh-arrival Kyo clones, charging at the group, leap in for flying attacks. Zan, teeth gritted, shoots at them as rapidly as his Pulse Rifle will allow, interrupting at least one of them from his attack. Bella sweeps her Compression Phaser Rifle at the enemies coming in from behind, just barely holding them at bay. Bridgette, covered in sweat and panting heavily, raises her arms to build another powerful electric attack. Her eyes widen when a Kyo clone lands right in front of her, and moves to punch her, when a brick suddenly strikes him in the side of the head, staggering him with a pained yelp. Bridgette flinches, and she, Teresa and Lyla look for the source, to see a man by a pile of rubble, picking up another brick. With outraged eyes, he flings the brick at the Kyo clone he previously hit. Battle shouts erupts from the crowd, as a large gang of young men and women burst into the street from both directions, armed with ordinary tools, pieces of debris, or just their fists. The Kyo clones are caught off guard by this sudden uprising, and Kusanagi shouts in shock when a large man smashes a cinderblock over his head. He retaliates by punching the man and throwing him back. The remaining droids register the citizens as targets now, and start firing at them too, but because there are so many, the spread of their shots becomes even wider, resulting in only a few focusing their attention on Bella's group. As the crowd pours in after the Kyo clones, some of the clones turn their attention to the crowd, but most of them know that the real danger is still Bella's group, and continue their attempts to attack, having them completely surrounded. Those that fight the people get clobbered by thrown bricks, smacked by sign posts, punched in the face by daring young men, kicked in the gut by angry young women. The Kyo clones retaliate with flying punches, roundhouse kicks, Dark Thrust attacks and grappling. The entire city block is in absolute chaos now, and the brawl is beginning to spread to other areas of downtown Eihemland City, where Kyo clones find themselves being attacked by the outraged citizens.

Most of the Kyo clones of Kusanagi's group continue to attack Bella's group, and Zan parries a flaming left hook with an upward thrust of his rifle, followed by shooting the Kyo clone with it to knock him back, but another flies in over his injured ally and smashes his fist into Zan, nearly knocking him over, and he yelps. Another Kyo clone reaches Bella, but she manages to lean back to avoid another face-aimed punch. She shoves her foot into his gut to send him staggering back, only for her to get shot by one of the Formless Kimen, and she shrieks from the hit. Bridgette has been grabbed by a Kyo clone, but has grabbed him right back and is electrocuting him. Amidst this, a shot from a droid makes her jolt and yelp in pain. Chez Shay disregards the fact that there are civilians in the mix of the enemies as she fires more rockets at the Kyo clones, the blasts sending anyone and anything hit flying. But no matter how much they try, the Kyo clones and the few remaining droids keep coming. Tears roll from Lyla's eyes, and she finally just drops down onto her knees to cover her head. She screams, "This is HOPELESS! We're DOOMED!" Sasha hides inside her oil lamp shell, shivering in fear, unable to support her mistress or their friends anymore.

The Beast, his eye twitching, seeing the surging enemies, starts to emit a drawn-out, high-pitched roar, and raises his arms. He creates a massive missile. Chez Shay flinches, and yelps, "Oh CRAP! WAITAMINUTE!"

The Beast flings the huge missile, aiming at a bunch of Kyo clones moving toward them. With terrified yells, the Kyo clones leap the heck out of the way, and the missile goes flying right into the electronics store through the window. The entire building goes up in a massive explosion, and the guy who was working there comes rolling out of the doorway, injured but alive. This was too much, however. The last straw. The trigger action. The crowds that were hanging back flip out. Seeing their friends fighting the Kyo clones and getting hurt has driven them over the brink. Panic erupts like wildfire, the people surging in every direction, and every single person in the area attacks the Kyo clones, the droids, even the Formless Kimen blindly and frantically. A riot starts up when enraged men light wooden objects on fire to create torches, and start roaring and shouting for an uprising.

As with every riot, however, the violence escalates rapidly out of control. The citizens with chips on their shoulders start attacking other citizens, mayhem gripping the city, and shocking the Kyo clones and Bella's party. The madness of the situation grows even worse when shady men take advantage of the chaos, and throw a bench into an undamaged store window, shattering it, and others pour into the abandoned shops to loot them. People are throwing punches, swinging objects, getting shot by droids, being launched by blasts from Kyo clones, throwing rocks, bottles and burning objects at Kyo clones. A Kyo clone yelps when a paper airplane nails him in the eye. Kusanagi stares at the chaos around him, and lets out an incredulous laugh. He turns his attention toward working through the insanity toward Zan's group, knowing that with this riot, the Kyo clones now have their hands completely full. He's going to have to take matters into his own hands again.

Meanwhile, Chez Shay grabs The Beast by his ears and shakes him angrily as she scolds, "Oh that was REAL brilliant, stuffing-for-brains! You're supposed to hit the bad guys, not the buildings!"

The Beast is quick to retort, "LOOK WHO'S-" "Enough!" Zan belts at them both, the Anger Icon flaring in his eye. "We came here to HELP this city, not set it on fire! Look what you've done! Now the entire region is in danger!" His anger surprises Chez Shay, and she stares at him.

Bella is absolutely distraught, seeing all of the flaming, screaming chaos all around her, and whimpers, "This... this is too much like my vision... Everything is on fire..." Her tears roll steadily.

The few Kyo clones who keep their focus on Bella's group stay close, ready to attack, and looking for an opening, but are nervous now that the entire city has gone into an uproar. Teresa is now very scared, even though she is hiding behind Zan, surrounded by her friends. She is shivering, with both terror and energy. Kusanagi runs through the street toward them, leaping over a pair of men scuffling over a television.

Lyla, on her knees, is clinging to Sasha's oil lamp, no longer concerned about keeping her breast secured, and is looking around in terror over the flaming nightmare surrounding them. She yelps when a Kyo clone leaps in to attack Bridgette, who gets punched, shrieks, and blasts the Kyo clone back with Lightning, of which she has almost no energy left for. Bridgette groans, worn out now.

Kusanagi slides under a burning stop sign, being swung by an angry man with curiously poofy hair.

Bridgette is furious but exhausted. Kira is extremely aggravated over having been unable to do anything almost this entire time. Chez Shay shields herself from a brick thrown at her by an angry man in the street, and yells at him. She gets shot by a droid, and snarls as she shoots back at it.

Kusanagi grabs a Kyo clone by the shoulder, points at Bella's group, and the Kyo clone nods. He joins Kusanagi on his approach charge. Several other Kyo clones notice this, and join in this final rush.

Bella can't hold out for much longer, and turns to look at Zan, overcome with misery. She whimpers, "Zan... I'm sorry... I lead us right into this..." Kira snaps her enraged visage toward her and bellows, "DAMN STRAIGHT YOU DID!" Bella whimpers a little more, and bows her head in defeat as she whines, "We were so close..."

Zan gives Kira a stern glare for her use of profanity, but keeps shooting at the enemies still trying to get at them. He struggles to maintain his composure, being shaken by such a catastrophic situation as this, and replies as gently as he can, "Never mind who is to blame... This is a hopeless situation... We are simply completely overwhelmed here. We need to retreat."

Bridgette gives him a hysterical look as she blurts, "HOW?!"

Kira grabs Lyla, causing her to yelp, and shakes her as she shouts, "Lyla! Where the hell is your carpet?!"

Lyla tightly clings to Sasha's shivering oil lamp shell, and responds, "I still can't use it! It got shredded by those lasers! It's regenerating, but..." She trails off, resolving herself to her fate. Kira just snarls again.

Teresa, however, seems to have moved beyond normal panic. Her pupils are shrunk, and she is whispering, "I don't wanna die... Not again..."

Bella's group hears this, and the Terror Icon forms in Zan's cybernetic eye. He gives her an extremely unnerved look, and fearfully says, "...Teresa..?"

"HEY HEY HEY!" Kusanagi howls as he rushes in, fists flaming, red eyes glowing furiously, with half a dozen yelling Kyo clones right beside him. With an extremely excited tone, he shouts, "READY TO DIE?! HUH?! HUH?!"

"NO!" Teresa instantly responds, causing him and everyone else to flinch, "I DON'T WANNA DIE!"

Teresa lets out a piercing scream of utter terror, and surges with the black energy of Sludge and Death. The Alarm Icon forms in Zan's cybernetic eye as he stares at the sheer amount of power exploding from Teresa. Kusanagi skids to a stop, and yelps, "WHAT! WHOA!"

A huge Tar Pit forms beneath Bella's group, and they promptly fall in and become stuck. Half of them panic, half of them just stop, and stare at Teresa. Kusanagi jumps back to avoid it, as do the Kyo clones with him, and they back up quickly to keep their fire away from the pit.

Bella, among those that panic, shrieks, "TERESA?! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" as she struggles with the tar. Lyla panics, and screams in horror as the tar gets a firm grip on her. Chez Shay yelps when Tar Tentacles lash up and snatch her and The Beast, yanking them down into the pit as well.

Zan is among those that do NOT panic, and sees that Teresa is completely overwhelmed by her own power. He just stares at her in awe, and quietly comments, "She wouldn't hurt us... Teresa..."

Chez Shay does panic, struggling and grunting, and she shouts, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING YOU CRAZY-" "Don't struggle! Let it go!" Kira, who does not panic either, but just relaxes herself, exclaims.

Chez Shay stares in confusion and horror, and yelps, "WHAT?!" "WAAAH!" The Beast cries out in shock.

Bridgette, too, does not panic, but can feel a force beginning to pull her downward. She cries out, "Hold your breath! We're going in!"

Kusanagi, the Kyo clones, and half of the citizens in the area stare in horror, shock and confusion as the huge Tar Pit, resembling the gaping, toothless maw of some kind of subterranean monster, completely swallows up Bella's party. The pit subsequently closes up completely, vanishing. It leaves no trace of itself or Bella's group in the area. Kusanagi clicks his tongue in irritation, and looks off to the side with a disappointed glare, as he mutters, "They escaped..."

A Kyo clone, still horrified as though he just saw people get devoured, remarks, "Is THAT what happened?!"

Kusanagi gets hit by a thrown brick, and snarls at the person who did it. He and his Kyo clones move to quell the riot.

~CONTINUED~


	3. PT3

~-AEST-Trouble Witches: Nest of Disruption~  
~Waypoint 16: Respite at the Coast~

The sound of distant waves lapping a shore mixes with the chorus of crickets. The sharp chirp of nighthawks occasionally interjects into the symphony of night ambiance. A steady breeze blows through, at a site of coastal plains, a meadow of tall grass near the southwestern coastline of Eihemland, several miles from the development of the city and its sub-urban perimeters. This area is so undeveloped, so wilderness, that one arriving inward from this direction would think that Eihemland had no population at all. The sky is clear, filled with a vista of stars that -almost- rivals that of Staveltess. The moon is high and bright. Bright enough that, after a few minutes of adjustment, one could see clearly under this beautiful starlight sky. It is here, that the tail end of the massive Tar Pit opens up. Amidst the knee-height grass, a massive hole of tar forms. And Bella, Teresa, Zan, Bridgette, Kira, Lyla, Sasha, Chez Shay and The Beast rise up from the tar. Lyla immediately yelps in fright. The Tar Pit closes beneath them, and everyone stands up immediately to look around. Everyone, but for Teresa, who has rendered herself unconscious. Lyla, still terrorized from the disaster back in town, looks around frantically, tears flying from her eyes, and shrieks, "Where are we?! Where are the bad guys?!"

Sasha peeks out of her oil lamp shell to look around nearly as frantically. Then she replies, "I don't see any!"

Chez Shay rubs her head, looking at herself, and the ground beneath her. "What the HECK just happened?!" she shouts.

Kira moves closer to Zan, and Teresa, looking down at her with firm consideration. She mutters, "Zan, do you think..."

Zan, alarmed by Teresa's unconsciousness, turns and kneels quickly to check on her, scanning her. After a second, relief comes over him, and he eventually responds, "...She's ok, just overloaded."

Bella still has tears in her eyes, and a welt on her face. She drops back into a splay-legged position, and clutches her injury. She softly whimpers, "We were so close... We were so close..."

Bridgette is still panting, covered in sweat. Lyla's top strap is still broken, her right breast still exposed. Chez Shay is buzzing with frenetic energy. It seems that only Zan and Kira are calm, and the latter is most likely because she never did anything. But when she hears Bella whimper, she snaps an angry look at her. Everyone, regardless of how tired they are, are extremely frazzled. Zan picks Teresa up, and looks at the group. Bella is rubbing her eyes, trying to calm down. Kira is glaring at her. Bridgette looks at Zan, red in the face from overexpending herself. Chez Shay is yelling at The Beast, who is yelling right back, about the damage "he" caused. Lyla is sniffling and blubbering, still very scared and expecting enemies to just show up out of no where, with Sasha not very much help. And Teresa is in his arms, unconscious. The Discouragement Icon forms in his cybernetic eye. He looks up as Bella approaches him suddenly, trying not to cry. Now that the chaos has suddenly stopped, pent-up emotions are beginning to boil over. And so they do, when Bella grips Zan, Teresa in the way of a full cling. She miserably exclaims, "We were SO close! I could SEE the castle! Why were they trying SO HARD to stop us?!" The tears intensify in her eyes, and she begins to break down. "My kitty... I want my kitty!" she wails, and finally starts to cry outright in squealing sobs. She clings to Zan, regardless of Teresa being in his arms.

Bridgette has now formed a few tears as well, overwhelmed with frustration. Lyla has been crying since she was shot down over the city. And Kira and Chez Shay are furious. Seeing a desperate need for it, Zan slowly sits down, keeping Teresa in his arms. Bella follows after him. He gently speaks up over the volume of everyone's fussing, "Everyone..." They look at him, and see the soft, sad expression upon his face. He finishes, "Come close..."

Chez Shay, still agitated, is now curious, and approaches to sit near Zan. Lyla scurries over and sits close. Knowing what Zan is about to do, Bridgette moves to sit with her back to his. Kira reluctantly sits close to him as well. They all cluster on the ground, close together and close to him. He closes his eyes, holding Teresa with one arm, and resting his other arm around Bella. The coastal breeze intensifies just slightly, and Zan enters a deep state of Tranquil Focus. A gentle purple aura slowly expands outward from him to produce a peace-inducing field of Tranquility. The girls are engulfed in this field of pure peace, and some of them take deep breaths, closing their eyes. Even the agitated Chez Shay finds herself entranced, and widens her eyes at the sight and sense of calm that washes over her. It can do nothing for her craziness, but it quickly calms her down. Her Gunbrella reverts back to first tier mode, and she closes her eyes. The Beast tilts his head, with a less psychotic expression, seeing his mistress actually calming down for once. Teresa slowly wakes up, finding herself in Zan's hold, smiles a cute and loving smile, and rests a hand on his chest. The tears in Lyla's and Bella's eyes dry up, along with Bridgette's, and everyone's, sweat. Sasha slowly retracts into her oil lamp shell, feeling a calm come over her like a refreshingly cool breeze during a hot desert day. Kira gazes at Zan, the only one to keep her eyes open the entire time, and allows herself to display a smile of admiration and appreciation for Zan and his love. Perhaps she, too, as unwilling as she would be to admit it, allows love to fuel her gaze as she observes Zan's peaceful power. It's only during times like this, that Kira briefly forgets her bitter frustration over her life. She watches as the aura becomes mixed with a few Cybranites deployed from Zan, that dart about to heal everyone's injuries. Lyla's potions are good for a quick, emergency rejuvenation, but nothing beats the long-term effects of Zan's Tranquility Aura and repair probes.

Several minutes pass. Zan concludes the Tranquil Focus, and opens his eyes. Kira immediately averts her gaze until she can wrestle her affection for him back into submission. Everyone else slowly opens their eyes as well. Teresa gazes up at him, her hand still resting on his chest, and she coos, "Master..."

Hearing her voice puts a warm smile on his face, and he looks at her with loving eyes, as he tenderly replies, "Teresa..."

She forms a proud little smile, and says, "Good job."

Bridgette and Kira snerk. Zan's softness shifts into amusement, and he gives her a gentle kiss to the forehead. He replies, "Thank you, Teresa. NESTS may have stolen my gear, but they will never be able to steal my one greatest specialty: establishing peace."

Bridgette leans against Zan's back, looking up at the starry sky, and sighs contentedly. Teresa climbs off of Zan's lap and hugs him abruptly. Kira nods, eyes closed and arms folded, trying to hide a smile on her face. Lyla, too, is gazing at Zan with awe, and she comments, "You are a wonderful man, Zan... It's no wonder that I-" "You what?" Chez Shay suddenly interrupts, with a poke to Lyla's exposed breast.

Lyla flinches hard, with a yelp, and covers her breast with her hand. She immediately forms a strong blush, and stammers, "N-nothing!" She quickly starts messing with the strap again, but it gets more and more unraveled when she tries to tie the two ends together, and she becomes flustered.

Bella moves to sit beside Zan. Her injuries have been healed, and her emotion overload has calmed somewhat, but she is still a bit frustrated. She watches as Lyla shimmies up to Zan on her knees, blushing strong still. She avoids eye contact, her blush getting stronger as she draws near, and she timidly pleads, "Z-Zan... Could you... fix this, please?"

Chez Shay becomes faux-alarmed, and responds with disturbance, "Don't do it, man... Don't do it!"

"IT'S TRASH NOW. TAKE IT OFF," The Beast blurts with a big, toothy grin.

"WHAT?!" Lyla squeals, her entire face having turned red.

Bridgette busts out laughing, and Bella snickers. Kira looks at them with confusion, and Teresa continues to cling to Zan. He, however, just rolls his eyes, smiling in responds to their teasing, and gently says, "Hold still..." He points his fingers at the sections of strap.

Lyla's blush remains, her breast exposed before him, and red microbeams start dancing from Zan's fingers over the two ends of the strap. The front half rises up by itself, her breast becoming covered by the top, and the two ends of the strap reconnect with each other to fuse back into one piece. Within seconds, her top is back to normal. Chez Shay slumps back, looking bored. She notices the sound of the waves of a distant shore, and tilts her head in curiosity at the sound.

When Zan finishes with the repairs, Lyla checks the strap. Delight comes over her, and she proceeds to glomp him, causing Teresa to pull back abruptly to get out of the way, and narrow her eyes in mild jealousy. Lyla cheers, "Oh, thank you, Zan! You are just too kind!"

He reacts after a second by putting his arms around her for a moment, and makes eye contact with her, causing her to blush slightly. He gently replies, "You're welcome, Lyla." She watches as he looks at the others and adds, "If anyone else has any clothing damage, I can fix theirs too."

Teresa pushes Lyla away from Zan and clings to him again, giving her a scary look, but Lyla is too happy to be intimidated. Zan gives Teresa a soft look, and she looks up at him with cute eyes. She then nuzzles him and clings. He moves to put his arms around her instead, and gently comments, "Everything's ok now, Teresa... You did a good job too."

Kira keeps her visual focus elsewhere, as she remarks, "I would have to agree... And admit that I was rather impressed with that escape method you used. It's clear you are getting more skilled, though you definitely lack refinement."

Bridgette thinks back on it, the thoughts slightly chilling her, and she adds, "That was like some kind of suped-up version of that smaller tar tunnel you've used a couple of times. Gross, but useful."

Lyla gives Teresa a nervous look, and comments, "That was probably the most terrifying moment of that situation... You have some really... umm..." While she's not actually afraid of Teresa, she hesitates to finish her comment. Chez Shay does instead, "Weirdo? Bizarro? Kooky? Spooky? Sticky? Gunky?"

"TAR POWAR," The Beast barks, grinning goofily.

Chez Shay gives Zan an unnerving look of amusement as she says, "You really DO know how to pick 'em, Zan."

Teresa's ego being stroked, she responds, "Heh," sits back, folding her arms, with a proud little expression, and replies, "Well! When things get difficult, I am always able to rise to... the..." Feeling a prickly sensation, she moves her head to notice Zan giving her a fatherly "nooo"-look, and her pride melts somewhat. She just whimpers, "...Ngh..."

Chez Shay pokes Teresa's wrecked pigtails. "To what?" she inquires.

Teresa swipes at Chez Shay to drive her back, and yelps, "Challenge!" She looks at Zan, taking note of his look of warning, stammers a little, and her eyes dart about as she tries to figure out what to say that will satisfy both of them. She finally says, "W-when I have my gear! This time was a fluke, I'll admit... I kinda panicked really, really hard, and I think my power surged."

Zan's stern look softens, then shifts to a more casual look as he replies, "It surged alright. And that level of surge is what caught my attention. Teresa, you have a lot more potential than I think anyone here, myself included, realizes."

Kira looks directly at her, pointing at her now, and stresses her words as she speaks, " _But you lack refinement_."

Teresa grumbles, but her eyes widen slightly when Zan touches her face. He softens his gaze again as he says, "At any rate, we have to thank you. It was thanks to you that we escaped capture." He pulls Teresa into a hug. "Thank you, Teresa," he tenderly finishes.

Bridgette sighs, and adds, "Yeah, Teresa. Thank you."

Bella gives her a grateful look, smiling softly, and also adds, "Thanks."

Teresa is delighted, and clings firmly to Zan. Lyla and Sasha smile happily. Chez Shay stands up to look around. Kira stands up too when she sees Chez Shay do so. After a second of looking around, feeling the breeze, hearing the very distant waves, and seeing a nighthawk zip by overhead, Chez Shay asks, "Where is this?"

Kira looks in the direction of the wind, which is where the sounds of waves are coming from, and speaks in a notably approving tone, "The air is filled with the smell of the sea..." She takes in a deep breath, eyes closed, catching Chez Shay's curiosity.

Teresa gently pulls away from Zan, gives him a cute look, then turns her attention to the question, "I don't know exactly, but this is where I was dumped out by the Interspacial Causeway. I landed right around here somewhere." She stands up.

Everyone else stands up now too, and looks around. Bella fixes her gaze westward, in the direction of the sounds of the waves. Lyla stretches, pushing her breasts out a little, and her already low-hanging, gravity-defying pants sag just slightly. If not for her ground-length hair obscuring the view, the upper quarter of her backside would become visible. She yawns, too, realizing that after such an exhausting experience, she is really tired. She says, "It's so peaceful... SO much better than that crazy city!" and stretches a little more in other directions.

"This is quite a change of scenery, really!" Sasha remarks, looking around with a calm, pleased expression.

Zan takes a look around at the surroundings, and checks some local area scans. He replies, "I see... That is why we ended up unloaded here," and seems to understand better than the others.

Teresa gives him a curious look, and goes, "Hmm?"

Kira casually explains, as she faces the wind, "You brought us to a familiar place. Relocation skills usually only work for familiar destinations." Her short hair dances mildly from the breeze.

Teresa puts her arms akimbo, and nods. She replies, "Ah, yeah. That makes sense. I kinda liked this place. If not for that crab..." Her confidence sinks just a bit, and she becomes disturbed by thought.

Bridgette notices her change of demeanor right away, and forms a mischievous little smirk. She pokes Teresa, and says, "I knew it. You DID have an altercation with a crab, didn't you?"

Teresa flails at Bridgette and turns her back on her as she exclaims, "Shut up! I don't wanna talk about it!"

Chez Shay blinks, staring with curiosity at Teresa, and says, "Crab?" A devious grin develops, and she tilts her head forward as she asks, "Did it get into your pants?"

Teresa flinches to the point of nearly jumping, forms a hard blush with very wide eyes, her pigtails bristle remarkably, and she shrieks with angry gestures, "I SAID SHUT UP!"

Chez Shay maintains her devious demeanor, and says to The Beast, "It totally got into her pants." "TOTALLY," he replies with the exact same expression.

Teresa yells at Chez Shay. Zan looks toward the shore in the distance. He notices when Bella begins to walk forward, through the grass, in the direction of the shores. He follows her, and Bridgette and Lyla also follow, Lyla looking around curiously. Kira, Teresa and Chez Shay start following as well when they notice that the group has begun to move. Bella seems aware of the location, but her mood is poor, as she states, "This is the Silent Shores of western Eihemland. No one lives here, so unless they've got more of those Camera Drones lurking around, we should be safe."

Indeed, it is very quiet here, with only the ambiance of nature surrounding them. All of their enemies congregated at the city to attack them, and as a result, there are no long-range foot patrols out in the fields. And now, with the riot of the city in full-swing, the forces of NESTS are busy trying to tame the uprising. Bella's party is safe, and they begin to walk through the field. A nighthawk darts by overhead. Bella whispers with a tone of distress that disturbs Zan, "Safe... Safe from those jerkass Kyo clones... So many jerks... So much fire..."

Bridgette, thinking back, narrows an eye as she walks, and comments, "It's weird though. They acted all hateful and violent, but the few times I made eye-contact with them, I didn't actually see any hatred in their eyes. It was as if they were just doing their jobs."

Bella gives Bridgette a skeptical look, and replies, "Doing their jobs? They were doing them really well, then..." She is starting to get riled up a little again, and softly laments, "I've done a really terrible job of this mission... I wanted to get our stuff back... I wanted to get my kitty back... Get Teresa's scepter, Kira's Ether Blob..."

Zan gently whispers, "Bella..." wishing he could help her calm down.

Before he can, however, Kira speaks in in a rising tone of aggravation, "And you lead us right to their front door... Which promptly proceeded to FALL on us. Surely you could have realized that a direct frontal attack was a stupid idea, Bella! Stupid!"

Chez Shay, not one to let go of an opportunity to join in picking on someone, chimes in, "No kidding! Some leader! Were you leading us specifically to get us captured or something?!"

Teresa is taken aback, and mutters, "Hey..." as they insult Bella.

Kira continues to chastise, her anger overtaking her, "You didn't think it through! All with your high and mighty 'perfect victory' ambition, what, did you think they would just let us walk in to collect our stuff because you're so glorious?! You've been screwing up like this from the start!"

Chez Shay adds for the heck of it, "Even I could have done a better job than that! I wouldn't have been shot down, and I wouldn't have lost!"

Lyla's feelings are hurt, since she feels responsible for their being shot down, but seeing Bella taking the verbal abuse bothers her too. Teresa is glaring at Kira. Bridgette is keeping her eyes elsewhere, as she slightly agrees with them. Tears are welling up in Bella's eyes again, and she grits her teeth. But suddenly, Zan, burstingly loud, barks, "HEY!" causing everyone, but for Bridgette, to flinch and shut up. He yells, "Stop that!" alarming everyone, again but for Bridgette. He then speaks in a very firm tone that borders on rage, with an intense Disapproval Icon in his cybernetic eye, "Kira, you have no right to reprimand Bella. How much experience do you have with leading a recovery mission? None. Bella was only thinking about helping us recover our lost gear. She may have had her focus on getting her cat-hat back, but it's clear she wants everyone back in good and safe order." Kira grunts, looking away, unable to respond. Zan continues, "And Chez Shay! You should keep silent. Your reckless disregard for the safety of everyone and everything nearly got innocents killed and the entire street demolished."

Chez Shay quickly replies, "That wasn't me," and points at The Beast, who yowls in shock at the redirection of blame.

Zan, however, ignores this as he gives her a stern look and says, "The Beast is your responsibility, Chez Shay, and as such, anything he does is under your purview. And you CANNOT deny the fact that your volley rockets caused tremendous collateral damage to the buildings. You MUST be more careful."

For just a brief moment, a look of shame falls over Chez Shay's face, revealing the presence of a conscience. It is quickly wiped out though, when she shifts back to insanity. With a grin and dismissive gestures, she blurts, "Ah well! Water under the bridge! No one died, right?! Except for the occasional Kyo clone, and that one rat."

The Beast blinks twice, and says, "WHAT RAT?" He promptly gets grabbed and shaken by Chez Shay, and yowls warbly.

Zan sighs in exasperation, and turns his attention to Bella, softening his demeanor and changing the Icon of his cybernetic eye to Compassion as he gently speaks, "You're doing fine, Bella... It's like I said before, this situation is just proving to be far more difficult than anticipated. But the harder the mission, the better your results will be when you succeed. Keep your spirits up, and perhaps, take some time to rest and recollect your thoughts. We WILL succeed, we just need to try a different tactic, since it is definitely clear a direct assault is not going to work without our gear." He moves to rest a hand on her shoulder, and gives her a kind look.

She, however is still quite upset, and quietly responds, "I know, Zan, I know... I'll keep trying. I'm sorry..."

Teresa narrows an eye, grabs Bella by the arm, causing her to flinch, and exclaims, "No more apologies! We will keep supporting you, Bella. I am totally confident that you can lead us to victory! These are just temporary setbacks! We will beat those Kyo clones!" She gives her a highly confident look.

Bella's dismay does not settle. Her thoughts drift to the experiences she's had with their enemies, and grows more dismayed as she mutters, "Those Kyo clones... I hate those thugs!" She touches her face, where she was punched, but is now healed, and exclaims, "WHY do they keep trying to punch my face, Zan? Why?!" She gives him a very frustrated and distraught look.

He stares at her for a second, then forms a peculiar smile that catches her attention. He sincerely remarks, "...Maybe they hate really cute things?"

The other girls smirk on hearing this, and become even more amused when Bella, suddenly stunned, blushes in response to the clever compliment. The girls start to giggle, Lyla in particular, and she says, "Hee hee... Good answer, right?"

Those particular words helped Bella quite a bit, and, still stunned, she responds, "Yes..." Her stunned state clears up as she gives Zan a loving look, and she adds, "It did..." Zan nods, with a gentle smile, and the two give each other affectionate expressions.

The group continues their casual-speed hike through the field, and the sounds of the shore grow steadily louder as they go. Teresa finally notices one of the nighthawks, and watches it dart around, becoming fascinated by the concept of nocturnal birds other than owls. She notices that there are many of them in the area, and they seem disturbed by the group's presence. As the group makes progress, Teresa trips suddenly, and everyone stops to respond to it, Chez Shay snickering. Teresa looks at what she tripped over, and finds a nest cleverly hidden in the grass. The others notice it too, and check it out, to find that it has a few nighthawk eggs in it. Teresa moves to be on her knees next to the nest, as she examines it closely in fascination, and exclaims, "Oh, hey! No wonder they were so agitated! Master, can I grab that nest?" She looks at Zan.

He brings a hand to his chin, and responds with curiosity, "What will you do with it, though?"

She looks back at the nest to get a closer look at the eggs, her mind already racing with ideas, and she says, "I'm ALWAYS looking for ingredients for my alchemical experiments!"

Kira rolls her eyes, completely indifferent, as she remarks, "I can only imagine..."

Zan sees no problem with this, and acknowledges, "Hmm. Go ahead, then."

Teresa carefully picks up the nest, and stores it in her personal pocket dimension. All the nighthawks in the area dart away once she does this. She is wary for a little bit, afraid that they might swarm back in larger numbers to attack, but this never comes to pass, as the group resumes their late evening hike.

Kira struggles with some of the tall grass, and when one blade smacks her in the face, Chez Shay busts out laughing. At least until Kira leaps onto her, and Chez Shay starts running around frantically as Kira bites her head. The Beast falls to the ground laughing hysterically. Bridgette is calm, and Zan notices that this seems to be the first time she's been this calm since they started the mission. He watches her for a few moments as they walk, and she notices his eyes focused on her. She doesn't really react, so he inquires, "Everything ok, Bridgette?"

She moves to rest her hands on the back of her head as she walks, and calmly answers, "Well, for one thing, I'm tired now. I used up a lot of my energy fighting without my weapon. But now that we're getting a chance to take a break, I'll get a chance to rest. I wasn't, however, expecting to take a one-way-ticket vacation like this..."

Overhearing this, Bella's distress tries to resurface, and she apologizes, "I'm sorry I interrupted your planning, Bridgette. What was that all about?"

Bridgette looks at Bella through the sides of her eyes, and replies, "Just setting up some expeditions to worlds that I feel sure has treasure. Now that we're out in the country here, we might be able to look for stuff too." When her thoughts turn in that direction, she suddenly becomes interested again, and speaks in a slightly more lively tone, "Actually, Eihemland has its own share of ruins, doesn't it?"

Sasha, of all the people present, responds, "Yes. There might be some in this area, but I'd have to see some clues first."

Bridgette looks at her with intrigue, and asks, "Oh, are you an expert on Eihemland ruins or something?"

Sasha slowly shakes her head, averting her eyes, and responds in a humble tone, "No, not really... But I've been around long enough to know a few things."

Bridgette just reacts, "Hmm..." and starts looking around in curiosity now.

Chez Shay scrambles by in the background, Kira still biting her.

Teresa moves behind Bella as they walk, and pokes her, causing her to flinch. "What did I say about all those apologies? Since when were you apologetic?" Teresa asks with a little concern.

Bella looks over her shoulder at Teresa for a second, then looks away, and sadly replies, "...Probably since I lost my kitty..."

Zan speaks up, feeling determined to support Bella during her discouragement, "She'll be ok, Bella... Those Kyo clones... I doubt they'll do anything to harm her. They probably don't even realize she is sentient. Almost anyone, really, would think she's just a piece of gear."

Bella whispers, "I hope so..." and lets her gaze zoom out into space.

Lyla moves closer to the group, taking out some Health Potions, and timidly speaks up, "Hey, um... Everyone?"

They look at her. Kira stops biting Chez Shay long enough for them to pay attention to Lyla. She simply says, "Here..." and starts handing them the vials.

Zan accepts one tentatively, and gives Lyla a quizzical look as he responds, "Thank you, Lyla, but..."

She grimaces as she hands out the vials, and sadly, quietly speaks, "I was too afraid... At times when everyone could have done with a quick rejuvenation, I was too busy hiding... I'm the one who needs to apologize for us being shot down, too... If I wasn't so inadequate..."

Kira momentarily resumes biting Chez Shay, and she resumes running around in a panic. Everyone else accepts the potions. Teresa looks hers over more closely, now that she has a moment to do so. Bridgette gives Lyla a soft, tired smile, and says, "Thank you, Lyla." She puts hers away.

Bella forms a similar grimace, and remarks, "We both failed... But we'll make up for it. Right?" She, too, puts her vial away.

Lyla nods, and acknowledges, "Right. I will try to be brave from now on. My carpet's almost done regenerating too, so I should be able to carry us all again."

Bella's face turns wary, and she looks in the general direction of the city as she walks. She mutters, "...We're probably not going to try that again. We have to find a more subtle way of getting into their base." She closes her eyes, then looks forward again with a sigh.

Chez Shay is on the ground, wrestling with Kira. Hearing Bella say this, Kira looks over at her and snarks, "Oh sure, NOW you say that!" Creating an opening by getting distracted, she gets thrown off by Chez Shay, and yelps when she gets a face-full of sandy dirt.

Chez Shay scrambles to her feet, plenty excited again, and prattles, "What we NEED is an extremely long-range cannon! Ooh! Or a giant mechanical elephant!"

"RABBIT," The Beast barks. Chez Shay smirks, and responds in a curiously kind tone, "I already have one." She pokes The Beast's nose, and he responds with a flinch and a rather uncharacteristically-bashful rub of the back of his head.

Bridgette, Zan, Bella and Teresa give Chez Shay looks of dull annoyance. The group moves onward across the coastal plains.

Within half an hour, they arrive at the end of the plains, and find themselves at the edge of a hill that drops suddenly to a long stretch of beach. The sandy shore sprawls as far north and south as they can see in the starry night light, which is farther than average for the Entourage members, as their eyes have grown accustomed to seeing by starlight. The beach is very undeveloped, almost pristine, but for the occasional huge rock, a cave entrance some distance to the north, and Zan spots a small wooden pier with nothing else attached to it a short distance south. It is also unoccupied. There are no native Eihemlanders, or NESTS units in the area as far as Zan's local scanner and vision can tell. The waves lap against the shore with their distinctly familiar sounds, and Kira, who has finally finished attacking Chez Shay, stops in her tracks to gaze at the shore, a barely-there look of delight in her eyes. Once the others come to a stop here, they too gaze out at the sight. Chez Shay becomes excited. Teresa starts to grow slightly nervous. Bridgette smiles, but actually looks a little sleepy. Lyla is astonished. As a desert girl, she can never cease to be amazed by the ocean. She, too, however, is a little sleepy. As for Zan, the sight of the shore brings about a sense of contentedness in him. After taking in the sights, sounds and smells for a moment, Bella grips Zan by a sleeve and says, "Zan, I'm tired."

Lyla blinks, giving Bella a soft look, and adds, "Me too..."

Zan nods gently, also giving Bella a soft look. "No doubt," he responds, considering everything they had just experienced.

Bella then adds with a hint of distress, "But we need to get our stuff back..."

Zan maintains his gentle demeanor, slowly shakes his head, and responds, "It's ok, Bella. For now, we have what we need: each other. Everyone is safe. There is no need to be in a hurry. Slow down, just a little, Bella. Take some time to rest, recuperate, and develop some plans. It's already been proven that a rush is not going to work." He turns his gaze forward to look out at the water, and says, "Like the ocean waves beating against a rock, crashing against them is only going to scatter us. We all need some time to rest."

Bridgette finds herself charmed by his rather poetical words, and whispers, "Ah, yes, Zan..."

Bella smiles softly, giving him a loving look, and says, "I was actually hoping you would say something like that. Ok, everyone. Let's settle down here."

Teresa, the only one not relaxed now, is slightly nervous for some reason. She does, however, acknowledge, "Oh good. I was hoping we would take a break."

Chez Shay pokes her yet again, and remarks, "Didn't we JUST take one?"

Teresa furrows her brow, "I mean a long-term one! You are so annoying!" she complains, amusing Chez Shay.

Everyone stands at the edge of the hill, surveying the surroundings. Chez Shay picks up a broken grass stem, and pokes the back of Teresa's neck with it. Teresa immediately swats at Chez Shay, and yells at her while Chez Shay laughs. Kira watches this with annoyance, while Bella, Bridgette and Lyla watch Zan as he brings a hand to his cybernetic temple, and his eye shifts into Scan Mode. His expression turns annoyed after a moment, and finally he mutters, "Hnn... Even here their jamming frequency is strong. Aside from my local scans, I can't get any kind of long-range information. I still can't contact the Estate either..."

Bridgette looks up at the starry night sky, her hands still resting on the back of her head, and she comments, "I bet they're getting worried."

Zan gives Bridgette and the others a wary look as he says, "I really hope they don't try to send some reinforcements through. I don't want them getting scattered all over the realm like we did."

Kira forms an expression of genuine interest as she inquires, "What IS the policy for communications blackout, anyway?"

He gives her a flat, possibly slightly embarrassed look, and mutters, "...Remind me, when we get home, to make one." He rubs the back of his head.

Kira stares at him, slowly forming a look of disapproval. "...What kind of hero are you again?" she chides.

Bridgette is quick to become offended by this, and hisses, "Quiet, you."

Kira just rolls her eyes. After taking in the sights, sounds and smells for a few minutes more, Bella scurries down the hill to the beach. Everyone follows right after, and Kira is growing more excited, while Teresa is growing more nervous. She slips on some loose grass and ends up sliding down the hill on her seat. Chez Shay busts out laughing. Zan helps her up when she reaches the bottom of the hill, and she twists to look at the seat of her pants. "...Do I have grass stains there now? I can't see it," she asks.

Bridgette forms an aghast look that isn't quite serious, as she remarks, "Oh prime, grass stains. The bane of Galilahi's existence."

Zan also pretends to be seriously disturbed, as he says, "Be glad she isn't here. You know how she gets about grass stains..." He gives Bridgette a "yeesh" look, which she imitates.

Teresa, too, knows what they mean by all of this, and responds, "That's why I asked..." She brushes the seat of her pants off a bit.

The group moves across the beach, toward the water. They pass by a very large rock, and Lyla turns to look at it. Sasha pauses next to her. Everyone else moves to where the sand is wet, and stops. Zan steps a little farther out, until the water starts lapping at his cybernetic feet, and he stands, gazing out at the water. Bella takes a moment to pull off her boots and stockings, then follows him, and stands beside him, allowing the water to lap at her feet. She watches him, as his face becomes even more content, taking in the sensation of the beach. She forms a sweet smile, and comments, "Yeah, you really are a country lover..."

Zan just smiles, keeping his gaze fixed on the oceanic horizon. Teresa blinks on hearing this, and brings a finger to her mouth as she mumbles, "Country... lover? Huh."

Kira folds her arms, looking confident to disguise her pleasure at standing before a great body of water, and says, "That's one of his better attributes. As for me, I love the ocean. I love water. Swimming clears my mind. I'm going to go out there for a while and rest. I guarantee you I'll have a plan for us when I get back."

Kira heads straight on out into the water. Since she runs around in a one-piece swimsuit by default, she does not hesitate in the least. Once the water reaches her waist, she lunges forward to start swimming. Chez Shay becomes more openly enthusiastic when this idea is revealed to her, and she exclaims, "Now THAT sounds like a great idea! The blue-headed half-pint IS smarter than she looks!"

Aside from Zan, who doesn't immediately take notice, the others become stunned, and stare in surprise at Chez Shay as she starts to strip off her clothing. She pulls off her red tie, her blue dress and the white underdress beneath it, revealing that she does not wear a bra. Zan notices that everyone is staring at something behind him, and turns around. He flinches at the sight. Chez Shay finishes up by pulling off her own boots and stockings, and then, after giving Zan an unnerving, suggestive look, draws down her panties. The Beast just floats there, observing with a casual expression, not reacting at all to the sudden nudity of his mistress. Chez Shay struts up to Zan, leaving her clothing just laying in an unkempt mess on sand. She leans in close, and Zan just looks at her with a now calm, mildly curious expression. She forms a very suggestive expression, and goads, "Touch me." Zan, however, is quick to reply, "No."

Bridgette cracks up. Bella, smiling, shakes her head slowly, and she and Teresa pass amused looks between each other.

Chez Shay pouts slightly, then presses her breasts against Zan's chest, and moans, "Tooouuuch meee..." "Nooo..." comes his drawling response. "BORING!" she blurts, and scurries around him, off into the water.

The Beast floats over to Zan, and calmly says, "SMART." "Believe it," Zan quickly responds, maintaining his self-control. The Beast moves off to float over the water and watch Chez Shay, and Zan turns around again to resume his gaze of the oceanic horizon. Bella stays beside him.

After a minute, Bridgette looks around at the immediate scenery. Not seeing anything interesting just yet, she says, "Well, I'm going to explore a little. If we DO get attacked, it would be good to know our way around. And I might find something interesting. Stuff washes ashore all the time, anywhere."

Teresa acknowledges in a tone of assumed authority, "That sounds good! You go south, I'll go north."

Bridgette gives Teresa a flat look as she responds, "Uh-huh," and the two move in opposite directions on the beach.

Lyla brings out her carpet, and looks it over. Finding that it has fully restored itself, she smiles. "What a relief... I was so worried... I thought it had been completely destroyed," she comments, checking everything off.

Sasha smiles just as happily, and proclaims, "Arctaurus fabrics are a lot more durable that I realized!"

Lyla carefully lays the carpet out on the large rock, and climbs onto it. She takes off her little cone-shaped hat sporting an extremely long tassel, setting it beside her, and lays down. Sasha floats close to her face and checks on her. "Feeling that comfortable?" she asks with a touch of cuteness.

Lyla gives her a relaxed, but clearly very sleepy look, and replies, "There's no bad guys here. They're all in the city. I'm so tired... So I'm going to take a nap."

Sasha looks up and around, and says, "Considering how late it's getting, you might just sleep through the night."

Lyla closes her eyes, drifting off already, and mumbles with a yawn, "That would be nice..."

Sasha smiles, and settles herself down beside Lyla. She watches the others. Bridgette moves south along the sand, and reaches the old wooden pier. She looks at it, but sees that it has badly eroded, and it is not likely safe to walk on anymore. She does move closer, avoiding getting her boots wet from the ocean water, and examines some of the planks half buried by the beach sand. Little is left of this pier, which looks like it was once used as a personal loading dock for a large watercraft. But the level of erosion suggests it has been abandoned for years, possibly decades, and there are no indications of who may have used it. She digs a little in the sand, wondering if there might be a dropped item. To her surprise, and her archaeologist's delight, her fingers come into contact with something made of metal. She quickly brushes aside sand, and picks up a small, very dull, partially corroded coin. She looks it over, brushes off as much stuck-on debris as possible, and smiles. She stores it, and resumes searching. After a few minutes of finding nothing else of value, however, she shortly loses interest. She looks around, and catches sight of a glinting object farther down the beach. Curious, she heads toward it.

Teresa moves north, passing around a large rock. She notices the cave entrance within the steep hill that rises up to the coastal plains, but ignores it. She treks through the sand, and passes around another rock in an area that seems to have once been a section of cliff that reached out from the hill's edge. It has now been eroded away into large pieces of particularly durable debris. She looks up at a strangely-shaped stone formation halfway into the water that looks likely to have once been a peninsula formation for the upper land. She moves toward it, and snoops around, checking the formation, and discovers a shiny, light blue rock near its base. She picks the rock up, and finds that it is extremely smooth and pleasing to the touch. She smiles, and prepares to stash it, when she hears a clicking sound. She looks at it, and sees... the crab.

Her eyes go wide, she inhales sharply, and stares at it. "YOU!" she shrieks, her pigtails bristling.

The huge crab, easily the size of a turkey, aggressively points one of its claws at Teresa. She yelps, and looks at the rock she's holding, realizing the crab is pointing at it. She quickly clutches the rock close to her chest, holds it away from the crab, and exclaims, "No! MINE!" She promptly shoves the rock into her pocket dimension.

The crab goes nuts, flailing and clacking its claws, and Teresa squeals. The crab charges toward her, and she scrambles away from it back into the midst of the huge rock debris.

Zan watches the waves ebb and flow, and looks at Bella. Noticing that she is watching him for some reason, he sits down in the sand, unconcerned about exposing his clothing to the sea water. She smiles, and sits next to him, though she pulls her skirt up to her waist, revealing that she does not wear underwear, and exposing her entire nether area, though just her backside is visible due to her sitting position. She does this so that she sits with the sand directly against her skin instead of her skirt, to protect it from the rushes of saltwater. He does not notice this, as he rests his arms on his knees and looks out at Kira and Chez Shay in the water. Kira was content to just swim around, but once Chez Shay entered the water, she started to get rowdy and splash around. Kira yells when Chez Shay splashes her, prompting Chez Shay to splash her even more, and Kira ducks below the water to avoid it. Zan and Bella watch this, and their thoughts drift back to the beach of the Amethytus Estate. Zan quietly comments, "This beach is nice, but it doesn't compare to ours."

Bella watches the water rush in, and flow against her nether areas. She looks out over the horizon, and replies, "I've only ever flown over this beach, never stopped here. It's ok, I guess. But I miss the Estate already. I feel trapped, Zan."

Kira pops up from the water in another spot near Chez Shay, and yelps when she lunges at Kira to grab her. When Chez Shay starts trying to pull off her swimsuit, Kira flies into a hysterical fit of yelling and struggling with the laughing Chez Shay. The next moment, however, Chez Shay yelps when Kira breaks free from her grip, and flips Chez Shay over herself in the water, and the two go under. The Beast flinches in surprise.

Zan keeps his eyes on the horizon, and gently responds, "I understand. We've grown so acclimated to our freedom, to now be stuck like this is a bit paralyzing, isn't it?" He looks at Bella.

She looks down again, feelings of sadness creeping over her countenance. "It is... I'm worried about everyone, and I feel responsible for this disaster," she says.

Kira bursts up from the water, now gripping Chez Shay in a double headlock, and launches upward, before flipping over mid-air to bring Chez Shay back down head-first into the water in what is clearly a wrestling move of some sort. Chez Shay is struggling, completely caught off guard by the fact this tiny girl is so skilled in such attacks. They go under again. The Beast, too, is caught off guard, and slowly rests a paw against the side of his head in astonishment.

Zan rests a hand on Bella's shoulder, and she looks at him through the sides of her eyes. He encourages her, "This is a challenge, remember? You are indeed responsible, not for the disaster itself, but rather for getting us out of it. There is no way you could have anticipated any of the things that have happened, regardless of what Kira claims."

Bella looks directly at him, drawn by his compassion, and asks, "Do you have that much confidence in me, Zan?"

Chez Shay pops up from the water, yelping in fright, one of her arms in Kira's grip. With a malicious grin, Kira snags Chez Shay's other arm and pulls both of them back, causing Chez Shay to shriek, and she struggles to break free from Kira's unrivaled water wrestling prowess. Kira suddenly vaults herself forward over Chez Shay, and flings her over herself and back into the water. The two go under yet again. The Beast facepaws, and shakes his head.

Zan gives Bella a smile that warms her heart a little, as he tenderly speaks, "I do. You have come along beautifully in your transition from a 'Trouble Witch' to a vital member of the Estate. You're my Chief Aviation Engineer, remember?" He rubs her shoulder.

Bella gives Zan a loving smile, and takes a moment to hug him. She's tired still, but her confidence has been restored by his kind words of encouragement. The two look back out over the water and notice that Kira and Chez Shay have been submerged for a little longer than normal. They focus their attention as a result. Suddenly, Chez Shay emerges from the water, rising higher, and revealing that Kira is lifting her up. With a ferocious yell, Kira flings the shrieking Chez Shay with all her might, and she flies toward Zan and Bella. The two yelp, and Chez Shay splashes down directly in front of them just as a wave of water was reaching forth around them. Her crash-landing casts all of the water onto the two, and they yelp again, becoming soaked by the wild splash. The sheer amount of water renders Bella's top completely transparent once again. Chez Shay flips to her feet, snarling, and charges back out into the water toward Kira, who gives her a "bring-it" gesture. Chez Shay lunges at her, and the two go under again. The Beast folds his arms, watching with interest.

Bella and Zan brush sand off of themselves, and both of them momentarily notice that Bella's top has become transparent, her breasts visible through it. Zan looks at it, allowing himself to take in the sight for a moment, then points at it while looking at her face, and tentatively asks, "...What kind of material is that, that should be so thin that your breasts would become visible even though they have shirt pockets over them?"

Bella just sighs, and responds, "It's just a thinner material that breathes better in the tropical air of Staveltess. I swear, it's like I've become a magnet for water since I arrived. Maybe it's because I was bathing before I got interrupted by that vision?" Her face converts into a mildly suggestive look, which she directs toward Zan, and she continues, "Or maybe..." She causes Zan to flinch when she starts to unbutton her top.

Kira bursts up from the water, in Chez Shay's grip this time, but shortly takes advantage of it when she brings a foot up and puts it against Chez Shay's stomach. With a yelp, Chez Shay is flipped over Kira, who promptly wraps her arms around Chez Shay, jumps a short distance, and brings Chez Shay crashing down head first into the water again. The two go under. The Beast laughs.

Zan does not allow himself to become distracted by her suggestively slow undoing of her top, and attempts to keep the conversation going, "How many times HAS it happened?"

Bella is amused by his chivalrous resistance toward flirting, and replies, "This makes five times now. I wonder how many more times it's going to happen?" She continues to eye Zan suggestively as she finishes unbuttoning her top, but holds it closed for the moment. She adds, "You missed the first couple of times, but I wonder if you're secretly recording the images in that cybernetic eye of yours?"

Zan lowers his head slightly to look at her through the tops of his eyes, but also has a smile of amusement, as he responds, "What do you take me for?"

Chez Shay bursts up from the water, frantic, and grunts when Kira emerges with her head against Chez Shay's stomach. Lifting Chez Shay into the air, she shrieks when Kira flips her over and drops, shoulder first, onto Chez Shay's chest. The two crash below the water again. The Beast is extremely amused now.

Bella gives Zan a cute smile, a snagglefang protruding, and she answers, "I know you well enough to know you wouldn't, Zan. That's what makes teasing you so fun."

Unable to ignore it, he watches in surprise when Bella removes her shirt completely, allowing her breasts to be free to the open air. She flicks her shirt a few times, and wrings out the sleeves as best she can without wrinkling them or messing up the cuffs. She folds it up, and sets it aside for now, though the next wave that comes along just keeps it from drying. Bella gives Zan another suggestive look, completely comfortable with being topless, and with a drawn-up skirt, before him. Zan, for his part, allows himself to take in the lovely sight for a minute, and she smiles. He looks at her face the next moment, gives her a soft gaze of respectful appreciation for such a display, then resumes watching Kira, completely in her element, trash Chez Shay, while The Beast has started to cheer on the rather one-sided wrestling match. Bella shifts herself closer to Zan, and leans against him. He smiles when she does this, and brings an arm around her.

Chez Shay is now pinned, her face just barely above the water's surface, and she sputteringly exclaims, "Why the HECK couldn't you have been using this stuff on our enemies?! URK!" Kira pushes her face below the water for a second.

She shouts in prominence, "I need to be in WATER to do it, or USE water to do it with!" She allows Chez Shay's face to come above the water surface again.

Chez Shay sputters and spits, and shrieks, "UNCLE! UNCLE! ARGH!" She is thrown back under water again. Despite all of this, her rabbit-ear headband has managed to stay attached to her head.

Despite the racket, Lyla has fallen fully asleep on the rock. Sasha remains next to her, with a serene expression, watching everything that's happening. Lyla's soft breathing of sleep is only just barely audible over the waves of the shore.

Bridgette moves farther up the beach, having lost track of the glint she detected while at the pier. She climbs over a small dune of sand, moves around another large rock, and becomes distracted briefly by a large wad of washed-up seaweed that she at first thinks is a creature. She picks up a stick, and pokes the wad to make sure. When it doesn't move, she discards the stick. As she inspects the glob, she notices whirring sounds. She immediately becomes alarmed, and darts to take cover behind the rock. Just as she slips around it, however, a Camera Drone comes around from behind an old post, and notices her. It turns on its spotlight and moves to find her. She quickly moves around the rock, trying to avoid the drone, but it defies her when it moves over the rock and focuses its spotlight on her. She gasps when the light is turned on her, and shouts, "Blast it!" She yelps when the Camera Drone takes a picture, and snarls, "You piece of junk!" She thrusts a hand and blasts the Camera Drone with a Fireball, destroying it instantly. She angrily mutters, "I should have suspected!" She takes off running across the sand back toward everyone else's position.

Teresa, too, is running, but instead of toward the group, she runs, squealing frightfully, from the huge crab as it chases her. She scrambles over a rock, slips, and gets a face full of sand. She scrambles forward on her hands and knees, climbing to her feet momentarily, when the crab literally leaps over the rock and attempts to club her with its claw. She spots the cave entrance again, and charges toward it. The crab keeps chasing her, ignoring the sand her feet are casting up from her scrambling run. She darts into the cave, and immediately notices that it is pitch black a short distance ahead. Hearing the angry snapping of the crab, she finds a corner to slip in to, between a wall and a natural column. She can see the entrance, but she can't be seen at the entrance. The crab scurries up to the entrance, clicking its claws, some foam building around its mandibles, and its eyes dart around, seeking Teresa out. She watches it from the darkness, focusing her energy in case she needs to defend herself. The crab's eyestalks dart this way and that, and it slowly calms down. In fact, it seems to grow slightly nervous as it stays at the cave entrance. After a few moments more, it gives up, emitting a bubbling noise of annoyance, and turns away, leaving the cave entrance. Teresa lets another minute pass, then moves to the entrance herself to look around. Not seeing the crab, she sighs in relief. She turns to look farther into the cave, and, curiosity overwhelming her sense of better judgement, she starts to move deeper in, taking slippery steps and nearly tripping at least twice. After a couple of moments though, she becomes too afraid to keep going. She can't see a thing, and while she doesn't sense the presence of anything living, she does sense an extremely faint trace of energy farther in. She fears, however, that she might skewer herself on a stalagmite or knock herself out on a rock edge. She retreats to the cave entrance, and decides to head back to the group to tell them about this cave and the energy within.

Zan noticed the flare of light from the Camera Drone, and looks north up the beach. Bella looks at him. After a second, he says, "...Was that lightning?"

Bella missed the flash completely, and replies, "I didn't see anything."

Zan falls silent, but is now just a little bit wary. He looks back out over the water, and sees Chez Shay bob to the surface, worn out. She screams when Kira launches out of the water with a roar, crashes down on Chez Shay, and sends the two under yet again. But after a minute, Zan hears Bridgette's frantic breathing and quickly looks at her as she comes running up. The Alarm Icon forms in his eye. Bella, too, becomes quite concerned, and says, "Bridgette?"

Zan nervously asks, "...That wasn't lightning, was it?"

Bridgette stops right in front of him, and pants for a second, as she answers, "It wasn't. It was one of those friggen Camera Drones. It managed to get a picture of me before I blew it up, but we can probably safely assume that NESTS knows we're here now."

Bella's eyes widen, and she yelps, "No!" Her yelp alarms Kira, Chez Shay, The Beast and Sasha, and the two out over the water stop wrestling. Bella fretfully adds, "And just when I thought we were going to be left alone!" She lets out a squeal of frustration.

Zan turns to rest a hand on Bella's bare shoulder, and gently speaks, "Stay calm, Bella. We're too far from the city for them to be upon us instantly. We'll be alright."

Kira holds an open hand to the side of her mouth and shouts, "Oi! What happened?!"

Zan calls out, "Our position may have been discovered!"

Kira grunts in irritation, and starts heading toward the shore. She yelps when Chez Shay grabs one of her legs and yanks, sending her crashing forward into the water. Chez Shay spitefully declares, "She who laughs last! MUAHAHAHA!" and moves to get ahead of Kira, who brings her head above the water and snarls.

At this moment, Teresa returns to the group as well, and notices the drop in morale. She pants for a second, then stares at the group, before saying, "...Master, Bella, what happened?"

Bella gives Teresa a distressed look, and replies, "Bridgette encountered a Camera Drone, and it got a shot of her. We're not safe anymore."

Teresa crimps the corner of her mouth, but then looks back and remarks in a cryptic tone, "Maybe, maybe not."

They look at her curiously. She notices, and grins confidently. She proceeds to announce, "I found a cave up the beach! It was really, really dark inside, but I could sense some kind of energy within it. Bella, you have the ability to light up dark spaces, so you should check it out!"

Zan develops an approving look, and responds, "Well that's good news, Teresa. We could at least use the cave as cover in case enemies show up."

Bridgette folds her arms, admittedly impressed, and remarks, "And all I found was some old corroded coin... You did a good job afterall, Teresa."

She grins confidently. They observe as Bella stands up, and Zan immediately flinches when he finds her backside, coated by a fine layer of sand, right in front of him. He hadn't noticed that she'd pulled her skirt up the way she did when she first sat down. His cybernetic eye shifts to the Aroused Icon the next moment, when she bends over right in front of him, to pick her shirt up, giving him an amazing view. Bridgette and Teresa notice all of this, and can't hold back big grins. Bella, however, doesn't realize that she did this until afterward, when she remembers that her skirt has been pulled up. She looks at Zan, and he stares up at her, unable to conceal the look of understandable arousal over the display. He tries desperately to maintain his composure. Bella holds this position for a second, and says, "Whoops..." but also forms a smirk with a clearly visible fang.

Teresa puts her arms akimbo, and comments humorously, "You did that on purpose, didn't you?"

Bella finally stands up straight, replies, "Honestly, no," and brushes the sand off of her backside, though she keeps it aimed at Zan, right before his face. She pulls her skirt down, but makes a point of giving Zan one more suggestive look, and adds, "But I don't regret it."

He sighs, stands up, and takes note of the amused looks on the girls' faces. Kira, Chez Shay and The Beast arrive the next moment, having only caught glimpses of what Bella did. Chez Shay is pouty, and fusses, "And here he wouldn't even TOUCH me."

Zan looks at Chez Shay with a wary eye, and responds, "The moment I did, you would have bit me or something, I'm sure."

Chez Shay pouts moreso. She moves toward her messy pile of clothes, bumping her hip against Zan as she goes, causing him to flinch yet again. His mouth falls open slightly as he exhales in flusterment when she, too, bends over sharply at the hips to pick her stuff up, providing an extraordinary view. He averts his eyes, resting three fingers against his forehead, and exclaims with an exaggerated drawl, "Ya'll tryin' t' drive me CRAZY here!"

The girls, including Kira, bust out laughing. Once Chez Shay has gathered her stuff, the group heads to the rock Lyla is sleeping on. Bella, carrying her shirt, moves the closest, and gently, at first, speaks, "Lyla. ... Lyla! ...Lyla, wake up!"

Lyla wakes suddenly with a scream, surprising the others. She promptly falls off the rock, then rises to her hands and knees and looks up at them. She looks around, terrified, and screams, "WHAT?! WHAT?! ARE WE GONNA DIE?!"

Kira, Chez Shay and The Beast laugh again. Bella drops down to hunch, and grabs Lyla to stop her from panicking. She responds, "No! But we may have been discovered. We're moving to a cave up the beach. Come on!"

Lyla tilts her head quizzically, and mumbles, "A cave?" She lets out a yawn when she suddenly remembers how sleepy she still is.

She quickly climbs to her feet. Sasha floats into the air. Lyla grabs her hat and gathers up her carpet, rolling it up and carrying it under her arm. The group trudges along the beach toward the cave, with Teresa and Bella in front. Bella wrings her shirt out a little more, and puts it on. It's still thoroughly wet though, so even once she puts it back on, it is still mostly transparent. Bridgette looks at the worn-out Kira as they walk, and asks with a tone tinted with sarcasm, "So Kira, did you really manage to come up with some plans for how to defeat NESTS?"

Kira clicks her tongue, and thumbs at Chez Shay as she replies, "I WOULD have, if this joker hadn't decided she wanted me to demonstrate my water wrestling prowess. I spent the entire time teaching her a lesson in Kira Aquacombat 101."

Chez Shay, walking and just carrying her clothes for now, still nude and dripping wet, remarks, "What I can't believe is how a brainiac like you has the brawn to back it up!"

Kira forms a very proud grin, and boasts, "I'm just that good." Zan sighs.

They shortly reach the cave, and peer in through the black opening. Lyla is quite frightened by the ominous sight, which to her looks too much like a giant monster mouth. "You... You actually went in there..?" she stammers.

Teresa looks down the beach away from everyone, and mutters, "That stupid crab found me again..."

Chez Shay snerks, then prods, "Did it get into your pants?"

Teresa's pigtails bristle once again, and she snaps a glare at Chez Shay as she yelps, "No! Shut up!"

Chez Shay turns to look at The Beast as she repeats, "It so totally-" "LOOK," The Beast yelps, as he points in a direction with a paw. When he does, they see... the crab. It is watching them with angry eyes from atop a rock.

The Shock Icon forms in Zan's cybernetic eye when he sees it, and he says, "Yikes."

Chez Shay's eyes widen in horror, and her jaw drops open. She remarks, "...That is the biggest crab I have ever seen in my life..."

The Beast shortly develops a demonic grin, and barks, "FOOD!" After a second, the realization hits everyone else too, and Chez Shay exclaims, "...HECK YEAH!"

The crab freaks out, and bolts off from the top of the rock, disappearing. The group flinches at the lightning-fast movement, and shortly, Chez Shay and The Beast simultaneously moan, "...AWW." She adds, "And man am I hungry..."

Teresa, bristled pigtails calming, folds her arms, and exclaims, "Do you SEE NOW?"

Bella gives her a careful nod, and acknowledges, "We see now..."

They turn to move in to the cave, and very shortly, the blackness envelops them. At first they keep trying to move forward, with Zan's cybernetic components being the only source of, admittedly, dim light. Zan can see clearly due to his eye, but shortly, everyone understands why Teresa couldn't press forward. The blackness is so thick it can almost be felt as it engulfs them. At this point, Bella reveals another of her Light element skills, when she holds up a hand, and creates a Luminate, a ball of light that quickly brightens the entire cave. The spectacle it reveals takes their breath away. The entire cave, filled with natural columns, stalactites, stalagmites, swirling sand formations, and pools of iridescent water, consists almost entirely of the light blue rock Teresa found, as well as a variety of other colorful earth tones. It is very wet in this cave, but there is no sign that it is being used as a nest for any creatures. The group moves deeper in, Bella leading and Kira trailing. The reflective surfaces of most of the walls in the cave cause Bella's Luminate to brighten the chamber almost to daylight visibility. Bridgette gazes around in awe, and comments, "So beautiful..."

Teresa takes out the blue rock she stole from the crab, compares it to the rest of the cave's composition, and remarks, "So this is where that rock I found came from. Master, can I collect some more?"

Zan has stopped in front of another cave formation, and without even looking at Teresa, replies, "Go right ahead. I might take a few of these purple ones myself." He is admiring a stalagmite that looks as though it were painted with various hues of red and purple.

Kira becomes distracted by one of the iridescent pools of water. Lyla, only half awake, finds herself entranced, and starts wondering if she is actually dreaming. Chez Shay, disinterested, starts shaking the sand out of her clothes. Teresa picks up a few more particularly pretty stones, and stores them. Zan grabs the stalagmite, breaks it free from the ground, and stores it as well. Bridgette moves close to a wall and runs a hand over its smooth, moist surface. Suddenly, Bella calls out from the back of the cave, "Everyone! I found something!"

Kira keeps her eyes on the water she's examining, fascinated by the colors, but is quick with words as she replies, "And we didn't?" She takes out the empty bottle that had been used for Hannah's milk, pops the cap off, and fills it with the beautiful water. She secures the top, and stores the bottle. She then moves to join the others at Bella's position.

There, they find themselves staring at what is clearly a large, metal door heavily decorated with an ornate design. It is built into the cave wall, its framing merged perfectly with the natural stone all around it. It is the source of the extremely faint energy, and even though they have come up close, the energy is no stronger. They can't sense anything beyond it either. It has no visible means of being opened. Bridgette stares, her archaeologist mentality quite intrigued, as she remarks with fascination, "A door... In a cave... Sasha, is this a good clue toward ruins?"

Sasha nods enthusiastically, and replies, "Yes! I think... I remember something about a door in a cave, but I'll need to see what's behind it first." She drifts into thought.

Zan is scanning the door, and frowns when he finishes. He comments, "Well, that's going to be difficult to achieve. This door is sealed completely shut by a generic mystic energy designed specifically to secure passageways."

Kira's attention is caught, and she touches the moist surface of the door, allowing her to feel the energy it is faintly emanating. She responds, "Generic mystic? So it's basically a so-called 'magical' variety of normal energy? That means no one among us has an element type that could be used to counter it..." She furrows her brow.

Zan nods, checking other scan data. He looks at the women with him, and states, "Correct, I'm afraid. We have Light, Sludge, Death, Wind, Plasma, Volt, Fire, Water, Earth and Metal with us. None of these can counter generic mystic energy..."

Teresa looks at the door in curiosity, and possibly a touch of irritation, as she says, "I'm surprised Death wouldn't work."

Kira gives Teresa a dull look and bluntly responds, "You can't 'kill' raw energy, Teresa..." Teresa gives her, then the door, a mildly annoyed look.

"Wait wait wait," Chez Shay blurts, the tone of her voice a combination of offense and confusion, and she continues, "'So-called magical'? What's that supposed to mean?"

Kira waves a hand dismissively, not looking at her, and replies, "You wouldn't understand."

Chez Shay gives Kira an angry look, but Kira ignores it. Teresa turns to face the others, and asks, "So we're stuck? What else do your scanners say, master?"

Zan, his hand to his cybernetic temple, continues to check the results of his scans, as he speaks, "Well, it's very old. Like, three-hundred years or so. Also... Hmm, this is interesting. While I can't scan much farther beyond the door, I'm detecting that there is an artificial passage beyond it. It goes beyond my scanning range with that blasted omnipresent jamming signal though."

Bridgette's intrigue grows even more, and she speaks up, "Artificial passage? Now I'm really interested! There's definitely some ruins beyond this door!"

Bella looks at Zan, and asks, "Can it be opened?"

Zan is deep in thought, staring at the door. He does reply, "Like I said, it's been sealed. The manual opening mechanism is on the inside, which coincides with this tidbit of information I've gleaned that indicates the tunnel is used as a 'secret evacuation point'."

Sasha flinches, then looks down in thought, and mutters, "Secret evacuation point? Hmm..."

Lyla notices, and leans forward slightly to look a bit closer at her little friend. "Sasha?" she says.

Sasha looks at Lyla, then shakes her head, and responds, "Oh, no, it's nothing. I'm just thinking out loud."

Zan keeps checking over the data he's collected, as well as the options before him, and narrows his eyes when he comes upon something. He says, "There is a way for us to get past this door, but it's going to take a while. I could Reclaim it. All of the metal it's made of and the mystic energy imbued into it would prove a valuable source of Mass and Energy for me to use." The Amethytus Girls immediately react with approval and interest.

Lyla, however, is baffled, and mumbles, "Umm... 'Reclaim'?"

Zan looks at her with completely serious eyes, and explains, "My technology allows me to dematerialize solid objects of any and all sorts into raw resources that I can store in my systems, which in turn can be used to materialize new and different things through the same means that I dematerialized them, only in reverse."

Lyla's eyes have turned into swirls. Chez Shay narrows an eye in confoundment. Teresa, however, chimes, "It's a really neat ability, actually! I remember when you told me about that, and even demonstrated it to me by getting all those chemical stains off my clothes back in the Cicite Plains. ...Before you became my master..." Her demeanor turns soft and cute.

Zan and Teresa share a loving look. Their exchange of such an expression is pleasing to Bella and Bridgette too. Then, Bella comments, "It's pretty impressive that you can dematerialize something as big and complex as a mystic energy door."

Zan gestures toward the door with an unsure look as he says, "That bigness and complexity is going to make it take a while though. I'm essentially going to have to break down the door at the molecular level, and since it has such a high concentration of dense metals and resistant energy, both of which have managed to resist the erosion of time remarkably well, I'd estimate it's going to take a few hours at the quickest. It would go faster if I had my neotech tie..." He looks down at his tieless chest, and sighs.

Bella forms a similarly discouraged look, and looks down at her own tieless chest. She mumbles, "This whole mission would have gone quicker if we had gotten to keep our gear..." She looks back up, and acknowledges, "Go ahead, Zan. If those thugs manage to find us out here, we'll need to be able to escape."

Zan nods in confirmation, and responds, "Very well. I'll be sure to keep an eye on my local scans to make sure they don't find us, but actually, I doubt they'll show up very soon. Not only is it night, now, but... How quickly did you destroy that droid, Bridgette?"

Bridgette crimps her mouth, and responds with a touch of annoyance, "Just as soon as I could see enough again, which was a few seconds."

Zan lightly shakes his head, unable to know for certain, and mutters, "...No telling for certain then."

Chez Shay grits her teeth, and shouts, "In that case, I have a better idea! Stand back, ladies, and I'll blow it open with my rockets!" She prepares to take out her Gunbrella.

Kira's eyes widen in alarm, and she snarls, "Stop, you idiot! If you use a ballistic weapon in here, you could collapse the cave on top of us!"

Chez Shay drops her clothing to her feet, resulting in complete frontal nudity exposure. But she did it with a motion of hostility, and snarls back, "What did I say about calling me an idiot?!" She immediately lunges at Kira.

Bridgette and Bella grab Chez Shay and restrain her, while Kira just folds her arms and sneers at her. Struggling with the nude, thrashing girl, Bridgette exclaims, "Will you STOP THREATENING US?! Prime you are such a pain in the ass!"

Chez Shay, struggling back, resorts to biting into the air at Kira, and viciously snarls, "SHE STARTED IT YOU POINTY-EARED PINKHEAD!"

Bridgette grits her teeth, her eye twitches, and she seethes, "You are just FULL of insults, aren't you?"

Zan just watches this, and sighs very sadly. He comments, "Everyone is so worn-out. It's getting late too, so I have a suggestion. Chez Shay, please stop trying to attack us, and just listen."

Chez Shay yanks her arms free from Bridgette and Bella and glares at Kira, but does nothing else. After a second, Zan continues, "Everyone get some sleep. I will start reclaiming this door, and keep my scans out for any enemies that might enter the area. Try to sleep through the night to refresh yourselves fully, and when I've finished this and we're sufficiently rejuvenated, we'll resume the mission. Since we'll be completely quiet, and not producing any light, even if the enemy shows up, they probably won't find us."

Just hearing the word "sleep" causes Lyla to let out a big, cute yawn, and tears form in the corners of her eyes from it. She rubs her eyes with her free hand, and replies, "Oh, I am all for that. I am so sleepy..." She immediately unfurls her carpet on an open section of stone floor that seems to be the least moist spot in the cave.

Bridgette looks around a bit, then watches Lyla, and ends up yawning almost as big. Afterward, she quietly comments, "Camping out in a cave. This is so similar to my old treasure hunting expeditions..." She takes on a rather nostalgic feeling, and adds, "I'm just glad I have a home now to eventually return to." She gives Zan a loving look, and he returns it with one of his own.

Teresa, however, being a city girl, finds herself repulsed. She fails to resist the yawn however, and lets one of her own out. Then she responds, "Guh. Sleep in this humidity? Well, I suppose I can manage it, but I wonder about the rest of you."

Kira grits her teeth, but fails to resist, and yawns too. Afterward, she rolls her eyes, sniffs, and maintains complete confidence and comfort as she says, "This is nothing. In fact, I think I'm going to sleep in one of those pools of colorful water. I don't prune, afterall." She forms a smug grin.

Bella, just as tired as everyone, doesn't even bother to resist, and lets out a big yawn. She rubs her face afterward, and looks at her hands. She acknowledges, "We'll be fine. Sticky, but fine. It's not like we could have prepared for this, either..."

Chez Shay lets out a massive yawn, and Teresa notices that her teeth do indeed appear to be sharp like Metallia's, greatly disturbing her. Afterward, Chez Shay mutters, "...I'm more hungry than sleepy, but getting some rest does sound good." She looks around.

"I'LL GO FIND THAT CRAB," The Beast replies, and turns to leave, but Chez Shay grabs him by an arm, shakes her head, and says, "No, nevermind, forget about the crab. I'm sure little miss leader Bella Chimes will be able to solve our hunger problem." She gives Bella a sneer, to which Bella responds with an annoyed look.

Everyone turns their attention to Zan, and there is an awkward silence for a moment. Eventually the Confusion Icon forms in his cybernetic eye, and finally, he speaks up, "...What?"

Bella forms a silly little grin as she replies, "We all yawned. Now it's your turn."

Zan snerks, and rolls his eyes. Kira tilts her head, and inquires, "...Do cyborgs even need to yawn?"

Zan just replies in a tone of dull amusement, "I haven't yawned since I had my cybernetics installed. So, sorry, ladies, but you're not going to get a view of my tonsils."

The women pretend to be thoroughly disappointed. They are, however, just as worn-out as Zan took note of. He watches as they settle down. Lyla, Bridgette, Bella and Teresa lay down in the four corners of Lyla's carpet, with Sasha retreating into her oil lamp shell near Lyla's head. Kira goes over to one of the slightly deeper pools of water, and sets herself down in it. She gets into a comfortable position, and sighs contentedly. She whispers pleasantly, "All I need now is a bottle of milk..."

Chez Shay gathers up her clothes, and lays them out on the floor on the opposite side of Zan from where Lyla's carpet is. She takes out her vacuum cleaner, and sets it so that its bag is at the head of her bed of clothes. She lays there, still nude, still rather wet, and rests her head on the bag, showing that it serves well as a makeshift pillow. The Beast moves down to snuggle in with her, in what everyone else sees as a decidedly cute sight, though they all know better than to comment on it. His body ends up hiding her frontal nudity.

Zan stands in front of the door, facing it. He points his fingers at it, locks his arms in place, and takes on a rather statue-like posture. The women, especially Lyla and Teresa, watch with piqued interest for a few minutes as a red mist begins to flow from the door into Zan's fingertips. But the sight is somewhat hypnotic, and Teresa quickly and promptly falls asleep. Eventually, Lyla too, falls back to sleep. Soon, Chez Shay, Bridgette and Kira also fall asleep. Bella remains the only one awake, consciously maintaining her Luminate to keep the cave lit. It is beginning to dim, hinting toward her sleepiness settling in.

A slight splash echoes from Kira's pool, but Zan and Bella miss seeing the cause.

After a few minutes, Bella speaks up within the dripping tranquility of the cave, "...Zan?"

"Yes, Bella?" he quietly replies.

"I turned sixteen last week... And as of tomorrow, I'll have been with the Entourage for two years," she comments with a confident tone.

"They have been two good years, I hope," he replies, the tone of his voice indicating a smile on his face.

"They have, Zan. They really have. I wanted to thank you for it. This is a lame way to spend my second-year anniversary with the Entourage, but I guess that can't be helped..." she says, her tone shifting toward mild discouragement.

Zan speaks gently and lovingly to keep her from sinking into distress, "You're very welcome, Bella. And I thank you for choosing to join us. Though personally, I think it's rather fitting that we should come back to your home realm on such a significant date. It's not fate, obviously, but it is an interesting coincidence."

"Yeah... I guess," Bella mutters.

Another splash echoes from Kira's pool, and Zan, who was focusing some of his scanners on her, notices that the cause was because Kira twitched rather hard in her early stage sleep. He grows concerned, again. This seems to be a peculiar trait of hers, but he also knows that it seems to stem from some sort of problem. He regrets not being able to study it during this opportunity.

After several more minutes, Bella's Luminate growing steadily dimmer, she quietly speaks up once again, "...Zan?"

"Hmm?" he responds.

There is silence for a couple of seconds. "...Am I really doing a good job? In leading this mission?" she finally, and in sincere honesty, inquires.

He thinks for a minute to provide the best possible answer, and this delay discourages Bella. He finally responds, "Well... If I had to grade you on your current progress, I'm afraid I'd have to give you poor results... But you still have time to recover, sweetheart. If you can still achieve victory, getting our stuff back and defeating the enemy, it will be a satisfactory mission."

Bella's demeanor saddens notably, and she turns over to look away, trying not to let her discouragement overcome her. Her Luminate dims a little more. Detecting this, Zan speaks to her with warmth and kindness, "All that matters, in the end, Bella, is that everyone survives and that the primary objective is reached. Don't let this mission's difficulty discourage you. I'm sure that with more time, you will become even better at what you do. Just keep building on what you have, and learn to adapt to different situations. Some day in the future, we may have to deal with something like this again, on a possibly longer term or against even greater odds. Be strong, Bella. And remember that we are all in this together."

Bella stays quiet, and closes her eyes. Yet another twitch from Kira causes a slight splash in her pool. Zan has since turned his attention away from it, to focusing on reclaiming the door and keeping a detection scan sweeping out for any enemies outside the cave. The only sounds within the cave, beyond the dripping of water and the soft "fizzing" sound of Zan's reclaimation, is the gentle breathing of the sleeping women. Bella's breathing soon joins them, and her Luminate fades completely out. The cave becomes pitch black once again, the only source of extremely faint illumination now being Zan's cybernetics, particularly his eye, and the dim glow of the red mist flowing from the door into his fingertips.

~Waypoint 17: Suite Subterranea Introcus~

A gentle light slowly reaches into the cave, until visibility has risen to a bare minimum. Six hours have passed, and Bella sleeps quietly. Teresa, however, is one of two early risers in this group, and she gets to her knees next to Bella to awaken her with gentle nudging. She softly calls, "Bella... Time to get up, Bella..."

Bella stirs. "Nnggh..." she groans, and slowly opens her eyes, to find Teresa looking down at her with a cute little smile. Bella blinks, rubs her bleary eyes, and gets nudged a little more by Teresa. Her vision clears a little more, and Teresa snickers. "You sleep as cute as ever, Bella," Teresa comments.

Bella forms a half-awake smirk, and replies, "So do you, little miss konk-out."

Teresa sniffs in amusement, and gets up to awaken the others. Bella sits up, yawns, and stretches. Even though Lyla's carpet was laid out on a moist stone floor, it was a surprisingly comfortable sleep, and Bella wonders for a moment, as she runs a hand on the carpet's surface, if it itself had anything to do with that. She watches as Teresa moves around to where Lyla lays asleep beside Bella, to awaken her. Bella looks over at the small pool where Kira took to sleeping, to see that she is still asleep as well. She notices the dim light of the early morning sun. It would be brighter if the coast faced the east, but at least it's lit enough to see the inside of the cave without using a Luminate. She looks toward the cave entrance, and can see Bridgette, awake and alert, at the mouth of the cave, carefully surveying the immediate area of the beach. The tide is in, and half of the beach has been blanketed by the ocean water. Much of the area where they were at last night is submerged at the moment. So much so that some waves even come rather close to the cave entrance. Bridgette continues to scan the beach for her own peace of mind, and confirms that they are alone, still.

Teresa awakens Lyla in the same gentle manner. Lyla slowly sits upright, clearly not conscious yet, and stares into space with a zombie look. "Wuh... Where am I?" she groans.

Teresa gives her an amused look. She gets this a lot from others, so it's nothing unusual to her. She replies, "In a cave at a beach in Eihemland, remember?"

Lyla just remains blank, and mumbles, "So I wasn't dreaming..." She continues to stare into space for several seconds, then suddenly awakens for real, flinches, and panics. "Oh! Oh no! Are we in trouble?!" she yelps as she looks around frantically.

Sasha, awakened by Lyla's yelping, slowly sticks her head out of her oil lamp shell and looks around, barely awake herself. Teresa stands up, arms akimbo, and shakes her head lightly as she responds, "Not according to Bridgette. We're safe still, thankfully."

Lyla calms a little, going back into a more placid, slowly-awakening state, and says, "Oh, thank goodness." She starts checking herself and her clothes, and fixes up some loosened bits.

Teresa gets up and goes to awaken Kira now, who is still asleep in the pool of water she chose as a bed last night. Bella looks over at Zan, and her eyes widen in delight when she sees that the large, ancient door imbued with mystic energy is completely gone, leaving an open doorway into blackness. Zan is sitting on the ground, pointing his fingers upward toward a wireframe floating before his face, of a gun he is now constructing, using the resources he gathered from reclaiming the door. Red microbeams of energy dance about from his fingertips over the wireframe, assembling the weapon molecule by molecule. He looks at Bella, and smiles. "Good morning, Bella. Did you sleep well?" he greets.

Bella returns the smile, and replies, "Good morning, Zan." She stretches a little again, with a soft groan, and starts straightening out her clothes and hair. She adds, "Yeah, I had a good sleep... It was awfully moist though..."

Zan snickers softly, and responds, "Yeah, I don't doubt that..."

Knowing Zan doesn't need to sleep, Bella doesn't ask him about it. Teresa awakens Kira, and she grumbles, "Uuughh... Are we STILL in Eihemland? Feels like we've been here for days..." She stretches out a little, and looks around, as bleary-eyed as Bella was.

Teresa grimaces, and chides, "It's only BEEN a day, Kira! Maybe you shouldn't have slept in this water! Did it stain your suit?" She notices a lot of foreign coloration on Kira's body.

Kira climbs to her feet, standing in the water, and finds that a layer of silt has formed on her suit and hips that makes it look as though they have been stained. But when she runs a hand over it and finds that it comes right off, both she and Teresa dismiss it from being a problem. Kira cleans off the silt, while Teresa goes to awaken Chez Shay.

Bella gets up, stretches for a third time, and finds that some sections of her clothing do not want to unwrinkle. She mutters a little, and steps over to the doorway to peer inside, finding it as pitch black as the cave itself was last night. The sight of the darkness unnerves her a little, and she wonders if this tunnel may be of significance to their mission. She looks at Zan, and inquires, "Zan? Did you learn anything else about this tunnel once you got rid of the door?"

He nods, while focusing on building the weapon, and responds, "I did, actually. Once I eliminated the interference being caused by the mystic energy seal on the door, I was able to confirm that the passage beyond is a very long, man-made tunnel that stretches east-northeast."

Bella looks into the blackness of the tunnel, staring mostly into space, as she mutters, "...Back toward the castle..." She looks at Sasha, who yawns rather cutely, and adds, "Sasha said that she might know something about it. I wonder if this may be our option for getting into NESTS' base."

Zan's expression grows a little more stern, and he says, "I believe so. If anything, it warrants investigation for Bridgette's archaeological sake."

Bella sniffs in amusement, and replies, "Heh, yeah..." She watches as Teresa moves to awaken Chez Shay.

When Teresa gets near to Chez Shay, the girl twitches, as if sensing Teresa's approach, and Teresa grows nervous. She gets closer, and pokes Chez Shay with a foot. She nervously mumbles, "Ch-chez Shay... Time to get up..."

Chez Shay does not stir. The Beast stirs slightly. Teresa pokes her again, and exclaims, "Chez Shay! Wake up!"

Chez Shay suddenly launches herself at Teresa with a snarl, and Teresa screams in terror. She gets brought to the ground, and Chez Shay, now awake and on top of her, glowers crazily. She viciously snarls, "WHO ARE YOU?! WHERE ARE MY CLOTHES?! WHAT IS THI- ...Oh." She is now truly awake, and remembers everything that happened.

The Beast awakens, and lets out a large yawn that displays his rows of shark-like teeth, making Bella shudder. Zan tensely watches Chez Shay, ready to stop her if she hurts Teresa, but when she stops, he relaxes a little. She looks around, then down at the frightened little tar witch, and says, "...Crap, we're still in this cave, aren't we?"

Teresa's pigtails are bristled, her teeth gritted, and she shouts, "Yes we are! Get off of me you crazy witch!"

Chez Shay flops over onto her back, getting off of Teresa, who quickly climbs to her feet and brushes herself off. She snaps, "See if I EVER help you again!" She folds her arms with a huff, and moves to get close to Zan. He runs a quick scan to make sure Teresa is ok.

Chez Shay yawns wide, sprawled out on the cave floor, completely nude. The Beast floats into the air and apathetically looks around. Kira works on brushing off the last of the silt, then looks up and asks, "What time is it?"

Zan speaks up, "Nearly six in the morning. We spent quite a lot of time running around after the sun went down."

Lyla quietly comments, "I could have sworn it was all just a crazy dream..." Having finished fixing up her clothing, she gets to her feet, and Sasha floats up to Lyla's eye level with her.

Bridgette shortly returns from the cave entrance, and says, "And evidently NESTS never got that transmission from the Camera Drone that found me, because they never showed up last night or this morning. They might have had to spend the entire night quelling that riot, though. So if they do send someone, it would probably be this morning. We need to get moving." She looks at herself, however, and groans, "Ugh. I am SOOO sticky. I am so gonna need to take a shower when I get home."

Lyla grimaces, and responds, "Oh, I know what you mean. All this moisture is destroying my hair..." She puts her hat on and runs a hand through her very long, reddish-pink hair. It is quite thick, regardless of humidity.

Bella takes some of her long hair in hand to look it over, and crimps her mouth at seeing some fuzziness to it. She adds, "Mine too... I think Kira's must be made of some kind of water-immune material though."

Kira's short, blue hair, with odd little cat-ear-like formations atop it, looks the same as always. She sneers, and runs a hand through the shoulder-length bangs as she responds, "I spend HOURS in the water, so of course it's gonna be immune!"

The wireframe of the gun Zan is building has filled up completely with solid red, raw matter, and he is now converting it into the material used by the gun itself. Chez Shay sits upright, and immediately notices the gun. Her eyes widen, she goes, "Oooo..." and crawls over to Zan on her hands and knees. When she gets close, she exclaims, "A gun! What a lovely gun!"

The others take notice of it. Zan nods with a mild smile, and says, "It's an FN-P90. I got as much resources from that door as I expected, and it allowed me to build a second weapon."

The others observe. Lyla looks a little unnerved by the gun. Bridgette and Teresa look amused, knowing that, aside from the Pulse Rifle, the FN-P90 is another of Zan's favorite guns. Seeing it reminds Bella of her own weapon, so she takes out her Compression Phaser Rifle to check it over. Kira looks a little flustered, remembering that she is unarmed still. Chez Shay forms a dark grin, and comments, "How sweet of you to make such a beautiful gift for me!" She reaches to take it before it is even finished.

Zan throws her a sharp glare that freezes her in place, and firmly, quickly, states, "One, I'm not done building it yet. Do not touch. Two, it's not for you."

Chez Shay flops to abruptly sit on her bare backside, crossing her arms under her bare breasts, and pouts. "Hmph! How could you build such a cool toy and not give it to me?!" she whines.

Zan's glare dissolves as he turns his eyes back to the weapon, and he explains, "Because you already have a gun, Chez Shay, AND a grenade launcher, AND a rocket launcher, AND a minion that slings missiles!"

Teresa mutters with a hand over her mouth, "Greedy..." Chez Shay snaps a snarling glare at Teresa, who just puts her arms akimbo and sticks her chin out at her.

Bella has become curious now, and asks, "Then who is it for?"

Within a few moments, Zan finishes the gun, and it drops into his hands. He looks it over, and nods with satisfaction at finishing it. He then looks at Kira, and answers, finally, "This is for Kira."

The girls blink, and look at Kira. Her face grows into a look of extreme delight. But the moment she notices this, and the fact the others can see it, she quickly tries to bury it. She proceeds to put her arms akimbo, with a proud grin, and proclaims, "Well! How appropriate! To make such a powerful weapon for someone as powerful as me, I would expect no less."

The girls roll their eyes. Bridgette mutters toward the others, "Just once I'd like to see her show some real appreciation."

"I know, right?" Teresa replies in an equally annoyed mutter.

Lyla looks away as she comments without even thinking, "More likely he made it for you because you're the only one who couldn't fight the Kyo clones directly."

Little red dots form in the centers of Kira's pupils, as she snarls, "WHAT DID YOU SAY?!" Lyla just holds her hands up defensively, with a fearful little laugh.

Zan lets out a sigh, and says, "At any rate, here, Kira." She quickly approaches, and grabs the gun. She finds it just a little bit heavy, but checks it over with unconcealed excitement. Zan states, "I had enough resources on the side to build an ammunition microfactory into it. You won't have to manually reload, and you won't run out of ammunition as long as the battery is charged, and it gets a slight recharge every time you fire it."

Kira is grinning deviously, with those pearly-white teeth of hers as a more evident result of her frequent milk-drinking. She replies as she keeps examining the weapon, "I will admit this much: it's an excellent work of construction."

Chez Shay is still pouty, and mumbles, "My thoughts exactly..." She climbs back to her feet, her moist nudity on full display.

Lyla leans toward Kira slightly, and carefully prompts, "So, what do you say, Kira?"

Kira's eye twitches, she slowly shifts her focus into a glare on Lyla, and she responds, "I say YOU'RE NOT MY MOTHER. SHUT UP." Lyla shrinks back at the glare Kira gives her.

Kira then happens to notices the tentative look on Zan's face and the annoyance of the others. She is silent for a second, then sighs with exasperation, and finally speaks up, "Thank you, Zan."

Zan climbs to his feet. He is promptly hugged by Teresa, briefly distracting everyone. He smiles, though, and puts his arms around her during the hug. Bella remains standing by the doorway, and after seeing that everyone is more or less active again, announces, "Ok! Everyone's refreshed, right?"

Dull acknowledgements roll out from the group. Teresa looks around at the resplendent cave one more time, and comments, "It was nice, if moist. Give me a good, dry, soft bed any day."

"Or a Tar Pit," Bridgette snarks with a smirk.

Teresa imitates her smirk, and acknowledges, "Or a Tar Pit. Or a pool of water for Kira, evidently." She gives Kira a look.

Kira remains smug, holding her new gun confidently, and replies, "At least I'm not sticky like the rest of you."

Chez Shay picks up her dress, finding it covered in dirt and sand and moisture, and gets an appalled look. She complains, "Gah, my clothes are a mess!" Then her demeanor changes, and she gives Zan a suggestive look, as she adds, "I guess I'm going to have to stay naked."

Zan smirks, and responds, "Uh-huh. I can clean them up for you, you know." He promptly points his fingers at Chez Shay's clothes, and proceeds to reclaim all of the foreign substances on them, leaving them remarkably clean, if still slightly wrinkled. "There. No excuses for you," he teases.

Chez Shay pretends to become frustrated, and exclaims, "Spoil-sport! I hate you so hard!"

"HUNGRY," The Beast grumbles, causing Chez Shay to start thinking about that, and she mutters, "...No kidding..."

The others suddenly realize they too are now hungry. Bella included, and she holds her stomach. She is a little discouraged by this, and says, "That's probably gonna be a problem... But I don't think that huge crab is around anymore since it heard you say you might eat it."

Teresa twitches, and her pigtails bristle just slightly. She responds, "Oh prime, the crab... Stop bringing that thing up!"

The girls whine a little over being hungry. Bridgette, in particular, points out, "And even if we DID find food in this tunnel, I really doubt it'd be edible."

Bella notices a slight drop in morale, and groans, "Ergh... Not another problem... Getting ambushed like that set us so far back!" She proceeds to change her tone to determination, and exclaims, "Come on, everyone, we'll make it! Maybe we'll find something to eat if we can get into the NESTS base!"

"We don't even know if this tunnel leads there!" Kira angrily cautions.

Zan, however, speaks up in all confidence, "I suspect it does. My scans indicate that it heads in the direction of the castle."

Sasha, peering into the tunnel, able to see at least a little of its design, comments, "So do I... It looks extremely familiar. I just need to look at some things inside it to know for certain!"

Bella looks around at the group, struggling to stay on top of things, and asks, "Is everyone ready then?"

Everyone acknowledges with less than enthusiastic replies. Lyla gathers up her carpet, and puts it away. Bella speaks in a tone of vigorous determination, "I know I've done a crappy job thus far, but I feel sure we will make it today! Let's press on, everyone!" Kira and Bridgette sigh.

Chez Shay decides to get dressed, pulling her panties up to start, then gets her stockings and boots on. The group enters the tunnel through the doorway before she can finish, and with an annoyed yell, she follows after, pulling her underdress down, and then her blue dress over it. She catches up to the group in the tunnel while finishing up with her tie.

The moment the group makes some progress into the tunnel, they find themselves consumed by the abyssal blackness of the passage. There are no everlasting torches, mystic energy light orbs or electrical lamps on the walls in here, and the faint, early morning sunlight does not reach far enough into the cave to light up the tunnel any distance within. Bella promptly proceeds to create six Luminates, and controls them to move over the heads of the girls and herself, producing significant enough light to act like strong lanterns, resulting in distinctly spherical fields of vision. They result in the group looking like a batch of bubbles traveling through the darkness. Bella, however, does not bother creating one for Zan. She knows that he can see even in pitch blackness thanks to the visual spectrums available to his cybernetic eye. He, too, knows this, and says nothing of concern about it.

The first thing the group notices upon entering the tunnel is its width. It is easily wide enough to be a two-lane street for vehicles, and tall enough too. It explains why the door was so large. They first descend a crumbling, eroded ramp. It is slightly moist, and, knowing Teresa, everyone keeps an eye on her to make sure she doesn't slip. To their surprise, Lyla does instead. With a squeal, she slides down the ramp on her rump, and splashes into a shallow pool of accumulated water at the bottom. Chez Shay busts out laughing, while Kira just sighs. The rest of the group follows her down, and checks on her. She climbs to her feet while muttering in shock, then laughs sheepishly when she finds everyone giving her various looks. She has a blush of embarrassment, and admits, "I can be so clumsy... all the time..."

Teresa has a mischievous little smirk, as she comments, "Well hey, it's nice to see someone ELSE take a tumble for once." Lyla pouts, giving Teresa a hurt look, and whimpers, "...That's mean."

Chez Shay snickers a little more, and the group passes through the pool of water to head onward, eventually leaving much of the moisture of the beach behind. The cave dries out, and they find themselves walking on paved stone ground. The cave is absolutely silent. No air sounds, no creature sounds, no ambiance whatsoever. Just deafening silence, and the footsteps of the group. Zan checks his internal compass, and confirms that the tunnel is indeed heading east-northeast. This is met with his approval, as he knows that is the direction they need to go in to reach the castle.

The group walks onward, occasionally looking around, and soon find that nothing is happening. Chez Shay and The Beast are quickly becoming bored, Lyla yawns again, and Teresa and Bella stay close to Zan, slightly nervous from the sheer darkness beyond their orbs of light. Kira checks out her gun as she walks. Bridgette, however, seems to be the only one feeling enthusiastic, and perhaps a bit nostalgic. She always loves exploring ancient structures, and this one, previously unknown to everyone, is exceptional. She finds her attention drawn to the walls of this tunnel, and Sasha moves close to look at them as well. Of what they can see, the tunnel's walls are nearly as ornately embellished as the door at the entrance, with cryptic and rune-like symbols that seem to be purely decorative. Bridgette moves to walk close to one of the walls, and watches the designs pass her by as she progresses. After a point, she begins talking, breaking the crushing silence, and comments, "The architecture here is too well decorated for some seemingly purposeless passage." She runs a finger on the surface, which leaves some dust on her fingertip. As she looks at it, she asks, "Zan, how old did you say it was?"

Zan, fondly watching her explore, replies, "Scans indicate that the passage is at least three hundred years old."

Sasha, staying close to Bridgette for the moment, quietly says, "That sounds about right," while Bridgette chatters, "It looks like it's over a thousand. I wonder if that's because of erosion, or if it was built using old material to begin with. At any rate, it is remarkably well-preserved. And these designs all along the walls. They're identical to the ones on the door, and are so well crafted, whoever built this had a lot of time or money to spend on it."

Chez Shay, too, watches Bridgette explore, but with far less admiration. She snarks, "...Is the pink elf some kind of antique expert or something?"

The Irritation Icon forms in Zan's cybernetic eye, which he narrows in annoyance. He firmly scolds, "Her name is Bridgette... Please stop referring to everyone by their physical appearances."

Chez Shay selfishly responds, "Myeh myeh myeh. Boooored." "AND HUNGRY," The Beast adds in complaint.

Along with everyone else, Bella does not appreciate hearing that, when she, too is hungry and can't do anything about it. She says, "Stop reminding us! Go on, Bridgette..."

She has been giving Chez Shay an annoyed look for several seconds, huffs, and on Bella's prompting, resumes, "Sasha, have you seen enough to tell us what you think this is?"

Sasha, watching the decorative carvings go by as they travel through the tunnel, nods, and proceeds to tell them, "Yeah. I remember hearing about some old rumors involving an ancient tunnel built by an ancestral king of Eihemland. One of the first ones, in fact! And three hundred years sounds about right. Once he managed to establish his rule, he was found to be very unpopular. The rumors soon spread that he had built some kind of tunnel bunker beneath his castle to use as an evacuation method."

Bridgette looks down the tunnel, taking in its dimensions, and comments, "Evacuation method, huh? And it's so ornately decorated, it would make sense that royalty built it."

Zan, his cybernetic eye now in Scan Mode, acknowledges, "That coincides with some of the scan results I'm getting off of the designs on the walls. They're just barely on the edge of the historical data for the realm, and are referring to this tunnel as an 'escape route'. Sasha, do you happen to remember the name of the king that was purported to have built this tunnel?" He looks at the tiny, floating turtle.

She blinks, and looks at Lyla, who promptly shakes her head. Sasha looks down, and thinks out loud, "Umm... Bo'ojeram the... third, I think?"

Zan makes a soft grunt, continues to check his scans, and eventually concludes, "Yes... Yeah, that sounds right. His name seems to be plastered all over the place. Evidently he was a self-glorifying type." He huffs in disapproval. He doesn't notice the slight level of discouragement hearing this brings about in Teresa.

"Which would explain his unpopularity," Lyla chimes in quietly.

Sasha nods with an enthusiastic grunt, and continues, "Right! Anyway, the rumors became more elaborate as time went on. Apparently someone was leaking this information from the castle, but people slowly began to think that the tunnel was attached to the Eihemland City sewers, which they already knew had a secret entrance to the castle dungeon, and that the king fled there on multiple occasions to escape attacks by enemies. It was also believed that he added on to the tunnel continually, but after a point people lost interest and the rumors faded into written footnotes. This must be that very same bunker tunnel!" She sounds quite cheery now.

Teresa, however, has become alarmed, dread coming over her, and she speaks up, "Wait, 'sewers'?! Are we going to have to pass through a gross sewer system?!"

Sasha flinches, then looks to the side as she realizes what sort of words she used, and corrects herself, "Ah, well, actually... It was more like an elaborate underground culvert system used for draining rainwater."

Bella nods, and acknowledges, "Right. There is an underground waterway system beneath Eihemland City, but it isn't being used for sewage anymore, since that breeds disease. Raw sewage is channeled through closed pipes now, with a modern plumbing system."

Kira, walking with her gun held close to her body, remarks, "Sounds like something Misty would have loved to have looked at." She scoffs slightly.

Teresa calms down, and looks around a little as she replies, "That's a relief. Seriously, if I had to trek through sewer water, I would be very upset."

Zan adds, in a tone of sincere concern, "As would I. It's not a problem when we have Contour Barriers to filter our breathing air, but without them, we're vulnerable to the more subtle environmental hazards... The last thing I want is for everyone to catch a disease."

Bella chimes, "Problem averted then, thankfully!" She seems quite relieved too.

Lyla continues the conversation, "I've heard about those stories, myself. I always thought that they really were just rumors of the activities of a paranoid king and his unlucky rule. But this is physical proof of their existence. I guess I was wrong... of course..." She looks down and away, as though she had just failed spectacularly.

Zan immediately picks up on this, and after a moment of surprise over the fact she would let herself be discouraged by something like THAT, he tenderly assures her, "...Lyla, you didn't START those rumors. There's no need to be down on yourself over that." Lyla gives him a gentle smile of appreciation.

Bridgette has become quite enthusiastic over the course of the conversation, her archaeologist's mind very intrigued, and she exclaims, "This is even better, then! We've entered a royal bunker tunnel that, before now, was thought to have never existed! This is an amazing find! Maybe there's still some treasure in here somewhere!"

Chez Shay, bored half to death, complains, "If only it wasn't so FEATURELESS! I want to SHOOT something just to break this silence. I swear, it's pressing in on me like- ...STOP THAT!" The Beast snickers, having been pushing Chez Shay forward subtly enough to make her think it was the silence of the tunnel itself. She snatches at him, but he manages to dodge it and darts from her. She bolts after to chase him within the tunnel.

Bridgette watches the chase for a second, then looks at the others and says, "...If we get a chance to come back here while not under duress, I'd like to take some time to examine the place more thoroughly."

Bella smiles, nods, and replies, "Sure. If- no, when, we defeat NESTS, we can come back whenever you want." Bridgette is pleased, and continues to examine the walls as they walk along.

The group's conversation and Chez Shay's noisy antics echo down through the tunnel. Something becomes disturbed in the grand darkness of the distance...

As Chez Shay chases The Beast, she trips on a loose piece of stone tile on the floor and flops down in front of Bella and Teresa. Their mouths form wiggly lines as they try desperately to not laugh, knowing that if they do, Chez Shay will kill them. No one, in fact, checks on her, fearing that she's about to explode. She jumps to her feet and gives Bella a look that sends chills down her spine. Chez Shay mutters, "You..."

The hair on the back of Bella's neck stands up, and she defensively responds, "...I didn't make you trip!"

"Not that!" Chez Shay blurts as she suddenly puts an arm around Bella. She then says, "I just remembered that you used to LIVE in Eihemland."

Bella blinks, and stares at her, as she mumbles, "Uhh... Yeah? I'm one of Amalgam's daughters." She gives Teresa a confounded look. Teresa responds with a similar look and a shrug.

Chez Shay forms a big, toothy grin, as she says, "So you NEED to tell me... What's life like in your NEW home?"

Bella blinks again, giving Chez Shay a baffled look at the sudden personal question, and looks around as she fishes up an answer, "Well, it's... warm..." She ends up giving Zan a gentle look, and adds, "In more ways than one."

Chez Shay gestures with a hand as she asks, "Who do you hang out with the most?"

Bella narrows an eye, that side of her mouth crimped, and she replies, "...Even if I told you, you wouldn't know who I was talking about!"

Chez Shay gives her a weird look as she next inquires, "What do you do for work?"

Bella is growing more confused and annoyed, and after a second, responds, "...I help build and maintain Zan's aircraft."

Chez Shay forms a smirk as she asks, "Are there any rabbits there?"

Bella, with great irritation, exclaims, "What is this, twenty-questions?!"

Teresa, however, quietly mumbles, "There are a lot of rabbits there, actually..." Bridgette overhears this, and sniffs in amusement.

Chez Shay pokes Bella a few times as she throws out another question, "If you could define your life as a hot-air balloon, what species of bird would perch on it?"

Everyone flinches at THIS question, and Bella stares at her in utter confoundment. "...That doesn't even make sense!" she says.

Chez Shay then gives Bella a very deep look, as she asks in a firm tone, "How long will you stay..?"

Bella has a dreadful expression at the look Chez Shay gives her, but then realizes that it's a legitimate question, and a good one at that. She thinks for a second, and quietly answers, "...I've been there for two years now, and..." She gives Zan that gentle look again, as she finishes, "I'll probably stay forever..."

Zan and Teresa are both very pleased. With everyone conversing, distracted with each other, they do not notice a rather large insectoid leg briefly become visible within Kira's personal sphere of light. It is gone the next instant. Chez Shay is about to spurt out another question when Lyla speaks up before her, "You must really love your new home, Bella. It's so nice to know that you aren't a Trouble Witch anymore. Do you have any long-term plans to go along with your intention to stay with Zan for the rest of your life?"

Chez Shay releases Bella from her arm, and throws a crazy annoyed look at Lyla for interrupting her, but Lyla fails to notice it. Bella is more appreciative of Lyla's earnest question, and replies, "I do, actually." Hearing this catches Zan's attention, and he listens more intently as she continues, "Since I manage the aircraft of the Estate, I have been doing some research on legendary aircraft that I think might make excellent additions to our fleet, if they really exist. And I have found one that has piqued my interest. Right now I don't know much about it, but I'm hoping to soon start construction of it."

Zan rests two fingers on his chin, wondering what Bella has discovered. He keeps quiet though, as the girls continue conversing. No one notices still, due to their talking, a faint skittering noise emit from the darkness beyond their spheres of light. Chez Shay is trying desperately to fight her boredom, and sees Kira still examining her FN-P90. She scurries over and pokes Kira, causing her to swat at Chez Shay, who badgers her, "Do you even know how to operate that thing? Are you sure you wouldn't want someone better than you to use it?" It would seem she is trying to take Kira's gun from her, and pokes her some more.

Kira, however, keeps firm hold on the weapon, and exclaims, "What the HECK? Of course I know how to use this! EVERYONE at the Amethytus Estate knows how to use a gun! For cripes' sake, Zan has a daughter that is a gun EXPERT. We may live in a sanctuary, but certain skills are just necessary to have! STOP POKING ME!" She swats wildly at Chez Shay, who keeps poking and poking.

Bridgette, distracted from her examination of the tunnel walls by this subject, comments, "Violet freely trains everyone in the use of guns. It sure feels funny being taught something by a nine-year-old..."

Zan chuckles slightly. Kira finally swings the gun itself at Chez Shay, who dodges it and snarls at Kira, who snarls right back. The group converges on them to keep them from tearing each other apart. After a moment of getting them to calm down, the group resumes, though now Chez Shay and Kira keep away from each other. An insectoid leg briefly becomes visible within Lyla's sphere of light behind her, and thus she fails to notice it. The next instant, another one, and then a third, all moving in the same direction, dart in and out of visibility. She does look around, and focuses her attention on Teresa, who is talking to Bella now about hobbies. While watching them talk, Lyla shyly speaks to Zan, "Umm... Zan, I know it's pathetically late for me to be asking this, but..." He looks at her, waiting for her to finish, "You introduced me to these two girls, Teresa and Kira, but... They aren't familiar to me."

Chez Shay forms a cruel grin, and blurts, "He's building a harem, don't-cha-know." Bella and Bridgette immediately form suggestive looks, while Kira flinches, and after a second, mutters, "...Harem?"

Zan, however, quickly forms the Anger Icon, and exclaims, "PRIME, Chez Shay, STOP CALLING THEM THAT! They are close companions and supporters, but they are NOT SEX SLAVES. Do NOT make me come over there." He glares at her, both eyes glowing with angry energy.

Chez Shay feigns fear. Zan sighs with great exasperation. His outburst is satisfying for the others that what Chez Shay is accusing him of is indeed untrue. He turns his attention back to Lyla as he calms down, and explains, "Lyla, these two beautiful ones are the newest additions to my _Entourage_. Kira, and Teresa. Kira originates from a realm known as Arcana-Earth, where there are many people who have a connection to powerful elemental entities, not unlike our Guardians."

"Which we can't even USE right now..." Kira complains, causing despair to briefly affect the group.

Zan grunts in response, as bugged by that as everyone, then continues, "She joined my Estate to get away from a number of problems, such as the people she was forced to associate with treating her with great, perceived, disrespect, as well as the fact that the people of the world refused to acknowledge her status as a child prodigy."

Kira's eye twitches when she hears that one word, and she snarls, "It was NOT 'perceived'! ...But I'll let that slide, since you do acknowledge my genius."

Zan gives her a mildly amused look, and says, "Right. As for Teresa, she hails from the dark realm of Medea, which is just as heavily inhabited by witches as Eihemland, only they tend to be a bit more... ...How should I put it..." He goes quiet just long enough for Teresa to interject in a disparaging tone, "Brutal? Scornful? Treacherous?" Lyla finds herself disturbed by this.

Zan huffs in amusement, and acknowledges, "...Accurate enough." Teresa snickers. Zan resumes, "Teresa joined because... ...because..." He trails off with his voice trembling at the last moment, and he lets out a soft exhale, accompanied by the formation of the Misery Icon in his cybernetic eye, alarming the others, especially when he twitches slightly. He closes his eyes, bowing his head as he wrestles with disturbing feelings, and finishes with a strong tone of distress, "...She died..."

Chez Shay forms a very shocked look, surprising given her nature, and shortly exclaims, "...Say WHAT?"

Lyla, too, quickly becomes highly disturbed, and yelps, "...Zan?!"

Teresa is now having difficulty maintaining her composure, and gets a distressed look from Bella. She moves closer to Zan. He, also trying to maintain his composure, tremblingly explains, "Teresa... my little sweetheart... She is the first, and hopefully only member of my Entourage... whom I had to rescue from death itself..."

Hearing THIS distracts Lyla from Zan's distress. "W-wait... You actually have the power to bring back someone from the dead?!" she exclaims.

Bridgette, speaking gently, explains directly to Lyla in a somber tone, "Through our technology, and only for the newly dead. If we found, say, an old set of bones in an ancient site of ruins, we wouldn't be able to bring them back. But Teresa had only been dead for half an hour before we were able to apply our technology to save her..."

Teresa speaks up, her voice trembling slightly as well, "N-needless say, once they did... I swore loyalty to Zan, my one TRUE master."

"How did you die?!" Chez Shay blurts with just a little too much morbid fascination as she checks out Teresa a little more closely.

Just thinking about it distresses both Zan and Teresa significantly, which is clearly visible to everyone. Teresa finally just clings to Zan, while Bella has become extremely offended by Chez Shay's rather heartless interest. She angrily threatens, "Chez Shay, SHUT UP before I SLASH you!" Chez Shay is quick to grunt fiercely at Bella, who stands up to it, with a sharp frown that surprises Chez Shay.

Sasha watches Zan and Teresa hold each other closely like grieving family members, and whispers sadly, "Look at them... Just bringing up the subject shakes them up..."

Teresa, clinging to Zan, whispers to him that she is okay, trying to help him resist the pain of seeing her die. Everyone continues walking down the dark tunnel as this happens. Their conversation continues to override the sinister skittering sounds from the darkness beyond them, despite the sounds becoming slightly stronger. The two stay very close for a while to support each other and recover from their traumatic memories. It doesn't take long, fortunately, for Lyla to realize the need to change the subject, and when a thought comes to mind, she timidly says, "W-well... At any rate, it's been a pleasure to work with the two of you so far! I... I hope to be of more help when we have to fight again, and hopefully I can help you all finish your mission here."

Bridgette quickly replies in order to help move along, "You've been of great help so far, Lyla. Thanks." Lyla humbly nods, and Bridgette inquires, "I've been meaning to ask for a while now, and this seems like a good time... You said you have prophetic dreams? You do realize that it's not actual magic involved, right?"

Lyla looks down and away, and shyly explains, "Well I don't know for certain what the cause is, but yes, Bridgette, ever since I was little I've often been able to dream of something's happening before it does. I know Zan said it must be associated with dimensional wavelength somethings, but I think of it as both a gift and a curse. A lot of times I dream of things that happen somewhere else in the world, and I can't do anything about them."

Bella responds, "That does sound like a rather dubious ability. But I gotta ask... Zan thinks that you had your dream about what's happening right now around the same time that I experienced my own vision against my will... Will you tell us what you saw?"

Lyla stops to think, so everyone stops to watch her. This may not have been a good idea, as the movement within the darkness beyond their vision suddenly surges and swarms to take advantage of their stillness to surround them.

Lyla slowly looks around as she recalls the images of her dream, "I dreamed... Of a great sphere of evil energy forming over Eihemland City... Fire rained from the sphere, igniting the entire city... Then, holes formed in the sky over Eihemland... From the holes in the sky came five streaks of light... Purple... Pink... Blue... Black... and White... They were scattered over the realm, and the fire rushed out to meet them as though it were urgent... My view focused on the closest streak, the blue one... When I got close enough, I could see Kira's face... I didn't recognize her at the time, but now that I think back on it, I could sense that she was connected to you, Zan. But then... the fire rushed over her, and she was consumed." Kira flinches, then scowls. Lyla finishes, "I awoke the next moment in a cold sweat even though my palace is always warm. I knew right away that you all were in trouble."

Sasha adds, "She promptly told me, and her servants about this, and without regard for anyone's opinions, she rushed off to Eihemland to find you all." She gives Lyla a look, and Lyla laughs sheepishly.

Kira rolls her eyes, and mutters, "And she ended up finding me. Hooray..."

Teresa, however, seems to have recovered from the pain of the previous subject, and is now quite intrigued by Lyla's dream. She enthusiastically chatters, "That is really, really fascinating. Really! It sounded rather pretty!"

Lyla stays somber however, as she says, "All I felt the entire time of the dream was an overwhelming dread... But I knew that I had to do SOMETHING..."

Zan, too, has recovered somewhat, though all he really does is bury the trauma... He focuses on the subject at hand, and replies, "And you did, indeed. If you, and yes, you too, Chez Shay, hadn't shown up when you did to help us, we may very well have been captured or even killed by the forces of NESTS. Thank you..."

Bella, as team leader, feels the need to add, "Yeah, thank you, again. And thank you too for the help I'm certain you'll lend us as we meet the enemy and defeat them in the near future!"

Chez Shay cackles confidently. Lyla just rubs the back of her head sheepishly and nods. Bella gives Lyla a curious look the next moment, which perplexes the Arabic girl, and Bella thinks out loud, "I wonder, though... If it happened around the same time as my bout with that D.A.D... Do you think they could have been interrelated, Zan?"

Zan, finding this question quite interesting, responds, "It is possible... If she is hypersensitive to dimensional wavelength disturbances in this realm, and because this was a particularly catastrophic one, it would make sense that her premonition-like ability would respond rather potently to it."

This went over Chez Shay's head, and she mutters, "You and your big words..."

Zan bypasses this to continue, "I might even go so far as to say that it is entirely possible that Lyla's ability is what caused you to experience that Dimensionally Associated Distress. Like a transmission pinging from one receiver to another, her sensitivity could have been projected onto you, possibly through a combination of compatibility to my aura, and matching wavelengths on the dimensional spectrum, to cause you to experience your own warning vision of the disaster befalling Eihemland. It's highly speculative, of course. But we might actually be able to credit Lyla with indirectly alerting us to the disaster unfolding here."

Kira, in all her intelligence, understood this well, but finds herself skeptical, and she remarks, "I see tons of flaws in that theory, but we don't have the time or place to test them out at."

Chez Shay grips her head, rolling it around as though in extreme distress, as she mutters, "My head... asplode... Too much sciencey chatter..." The Beast and Bridgette snicker at Chez Shay's behavior.

Lyla only partially understood, getting the gist at least, and timidly replies, "I... I don't think I could have been the cause of whatever you experienced Bella. I've never been able to control myself during my dreams."

Bella gives her a genuine look of appreciation, and says, "At any rate, you've done a lot more for us than you give yourself credit for. So, thank you for that." She smiles gratefully.

Lyla responds with a half-smile of overburdening humility, and quietly replies, "You're welcome... It's nice to know I can be of some use at least."

Zan adds with a warm tone, "And don't forget, you are always welcome to visit us at the Estate. You can use the Amethyst Gate, after all."

Lyla finds herself flattered by all of this friendly attention, and nods. "Thank you. I think I would like that," she carefully comments.

The group prepares to move on, but when Teresa doesn't move, they stop, and look at her. She has wide eyes, darting around. Bella watches her for a second, then mutters, "...Teresa?"

Teresa, very nervous, quietly shushes, "Shh... ..." and keeps looking around in alarm.

Chez Shay folds her arms and snarks, "What, did you lose some marbles or something?" She gives The Beast a smirk, which he imitates.

"SHHH..." Teresa hisses more aggressively, and her eyes keep darting around, trying to find something that has her pigtails bristled.

Everyone is rattled by Teresa's nervousness. They look around, and listen. They finally notice the skittering sounds in the darkness beyond their spheres of light. Lyla inhales softly, quickly becoming afraid, and stammers, "Wh-wh-what is that..?"

Bridgette notices the noises too, and feels her heart rate beginning to increase, as she mumbles nervously, "...There's something out there... beyond Bella's Luminate fields..."

Kira's eyes widen, able to hear the skittering, and she mutters, "Oh crap, I can hear it too... But I can't see anything." She strains her eyes.

Chez Shay, now aware of it too, narrows her eyes and slowly shifts into a fighting stance, as she comments, "I think we've been surrounded." "YA THINK?" The Beast quickly responds, now aware of the presence beyond the light as well, and imitating Chez Shay's anticipatory stance.

Zan's cybernetic eye shifts to a different visual spectrum to search the darkness, and his eyes go wide. He can see movement all around them within the shadows. He watches the movement, in every single direction, and growls, "...We are surrounded..." Lyla whimpers. Everyone quickly tenses up, listening to the skittering all around them.

Suddenly, a xenomorphic creature leaps in at Teresa. Its purple, long and worm-like body bears a large head with a huge lamprey mouth surrounded by eyes. Its four, sharp-tipped insectoid legs render it highly agile for a creature the size of a coyote. Leaping in at remarkably high speed, it slashes its sharp-tipped frontal legs at Teresa. She shrieks, and only just barely manages to dodge the ambush by simply falling over, out of the way of the slash. When she gets a good look at it, she shrieks again. Seeing that it failed to land its attack, it makes a short hop back, and scuttles from side to side twitchingly, emitting a bizarre, soft shrieking sound. Teresa scrambles to sit up, and when she sees it, her pigtails bristle to the maximum, her pupils shrunk, and she shrieks, "BIG... HORRIBLE... BUG!"

Lyla has paled noticeably, a horrified look in her eyes.

Bella stares in horror, and shouts, "What the HECK is that?!"

Zan, however, is not nearly as alarmed as the others now, for some reason, and calmly replies with a quizzical tilt of the head, "A... Whole Eater... Huh."

Teresa scrabbles backwards a few steps away from the creature as she yelps, "Master?!"

The Whole Eater jumps backward suddenly, out of the light. The next moment, Whole Eaters are practically raining in at the group from all directions. Every single one of them performs a slash attack with their frontal legs, attempting to strike members of the group. Bella yelps when one of them nails its slash on her side, inflicting a shallow cut. Zan deflects the attack on him with his arms. Chez Shay parries the attack by smashing the Whole Eater with her Gunbrella, knocking it down. Bridgette is slashed from behind and yelps in pain. Teresa squeals when one of them lands on top of her, and shoves it off. Kira lunges to the side to avoid the one attacking her, then leaps at it and decks it with the butt of her gun, knocking it away and out of her light sphere. The Beast simply rises a bit higher into the air to avoid the attack directed at him. Sasha retreats into her oil lamp shell, which resists the attack. Lyla, strangely, is the only one not attacked by the initial wave, but she is quickly being consumed by terror. Bella, in retaliation, kicks the Whole Eater that slashed her, and it staggers back, bumping into other Whole Eaters moving in toward her. Zan, now calm, grabs the Whole Eater before him, but just looks at it as it struggles in his grip, as he holds it at arm's length. Other Whole Eaters move in, but stop when they see this. Chez Shay shoots at the Whole Eater before her, but it jumps back into the darkness, fouling her aim, and she grunts in irritation. Other Whole Eaters keep out of her sight, waiting for her to stop shooting. Bridgette swings around to snarl viciously at the Whole Eater that struck her. It snarls right back, and several more Whole Eaters leap in, but miss this time when Bridgette hops backward to avoid them. Teresa jumps to her feet, then literally climbs onto Zan's shoulders to get away from them, very frightened. She shortly notices, though, that Zan is calm. Kira sprays bullets around crazily at the Whole Eaters swarming in at her, trying to drive them off. Everyone is interrupted when Lyla emits a piercing scream of absolute terror. Blind with panic, she takes off running down the corridor, fortunately, in the direction they were already headed. Sasha pokes her head out of her oil lamp shell and yelps, "Lyla!"

Zan grunts in alarm, and shouts, "Lyla! Don't separate from us!"

Bella points at her as she shouts to the others, "Everyone after her!"

The group takes off after Lyla, and the Whole Eaters swarm after the group. The Beast and Sasha take off after Lyla at top speed. Chez Shay pulls out her vacuum cleaner, hops on, and starts flying after Lyla while shooting at the Whole Eaters. She manages to barrage one of them with shots from her gun, and blinks when the creature quickly collapses and dies, melting into a deep purple goo that fades away. She keeps shooting, and is able to kill two more Whole Eaters. Her surprise is shortly replaced by a wicked grin, and she exclaims, "...HA! These things aren't so tough!"

Bridgette, as she runs, feels the cut in her back through the tear it produced in her dress, as she responds, "They slashed me in the back!"

Bella looks at the cut she also sustained, and remarks, "I was slashed too, and while it hurts a little, it's only a flesh wound! Zan, what are these things? They're definitely not native to Eihemland!"

Zan is still carrying the one he captured, and shows it to them as they run, creeping them out as it wriggles and thrashes and squeals. He remains calm, more urgent about stopping the panicking Lyla than anything, and, with just a hint of pleased interest, explains, "They are Whole Eaters. A type of vermin creature, they are native to Gaia-7, and typically infest ruins and trashy deserted areas. Kind of like wingless Reos that prefer artificial sites."

Kira responds as she runs, "How did they get HERE, then?!" She is shooting over her shoulder back at the Whole Eaters. She yelps, however, when one drops from the ceiling and lands a slash on her arm. She rams her gun into its maw and fires bullets that rip out the back of the creature and kill it quickly.

Seeing that the creatures die easily, everyone is starting to calm down and gain confidence. The initial ambush was terrifying, but they have now realized, these aren't strong creatures, which explains their tactic of attacking in huge swarms. Bella swipes her hands to cast Light Slashes, which brighten the entire tunnel briefly with each action, and seem to frighten the Whole Eaters that aren't struck by the attacks. They continue to swarm en masse, and leap in for slashes. However, they miss a lot because the group is moving quickly after Lyla. She is still running madly. Whole Eaters are pouncing at her from the darkness like a swarm of giant crickets, amplifying her terror. One of them manages to land a slash on her left shoulder, and snaps the strap of her top. That section of her little top collapses, leaving her left breast visible as a result, but she certainly pays no notice to his, and it only worsens her terror.

Zan looks at the Whole Eater in his clutches as it struggles, and continues to explain, "Gaia-7 is a highly dimensionally unstable realm by nature, but in a weirdly balanced sort of way. The peculiar nature of that world allows native creatures and other elements to slip into other realms with ease when Gaia-7's interdimensional frequency matches up with other realms, however briefly. For that matter, Gaia-8, Gaia-9, and really all of the Gaia realms, are like this as well."

Teresa shrieks when a Whole Eater leaps in from the darkness before her and Zan, and clings to her with its legs wrapped around her. She struggles with it, grossed out by its decision to "hug" her. Zan reaches up with his free hand, grabs the Whole Eater and pulls it off of Teresa, its claws scratching her as he does. He slams the two creatures in his grip together, then tosses them over his shoulders to crash into a couple other Whole Eaters, dazing them all.

Lyla continues to run blindly, staggering occasionally, and crying in insane fear. Sasha calls out to her in distress, "Lyla! Lyla! Please stop running! These creatures aren't dangerous!"

Teresa, gripping one of the scratches she took in pain, notices that Bridgette is having a bit of difficulty, and responds, "Tell that to Bridgette!"

Bridgette, grunting and growling, shrieks, "GET THE HECK OFF ME!" A Whole Eater has clung to her too, from her right side, slowing her down and making her vulnerable to the attacks of other Whole Eaters. It doesn't get to stay clinging for long, however, when Bridgette electrocutes it and sends it flying against a wall, where she blasts it with a bolt of Lightning, killing it quickly. "ARGH!" she yelps, getting slashed from behind yet again, and immediately counterattacking with Charged Bolts that shock the Whole Eaters swarming at her.

Lyla is still running in an utterly blind panic, but suddenly The Beast descends in front of her, arms held out in a "stop" fashion. He also shouts, "STOP!" His attention, however, ends up caught by Lyla's exposed breast, and the next moment he grunts, "...OOF!" as she plows right into him. She falls over when she can't see where she's going from having the animated rabbit doll clinging to her face.

Whole Eaters swarm in around her, but scatter when Chez Shay swoops in to circle over Lyla and sprays bullets at all of them. The group reaches Lyla, and she climbs to her feet quickly. The Beast releases her face, but before she can bolt again, Zan grabs her, and embraces her, causing Chez Shay, The Beast and Bella to smirk, while Teresa flinches. Zan holds her tight, her face half buried in his chest, and he very gently speaks, "Calm down Lyla... Calm down..."

Lyla instantly clings to him, hyperventilating, and stammers breathlessly, "Devils... Monsters..."

Zan rocks her slightly, and keeps talking to her to tamp down her terror, "They're dangerous... but nothing too serious for us..."

Kira gives Lyla a scornful huff, and comments, "Hmph... So much for being brave and helping us in the next fight."

Bridgette glowers at her, and shouts, "Oh come off it, Kira! She might have a bug phobia or something!"

Chez Shay takes up a position over the group, while Bella, Bridgette, Kira, The Beast and Sasha surround Zan and Lyla. Teresa climbs off of Zan's shoulders and starts focusing her power. The Whole Eaters swarm in from all directions to attack. Bella relegates herself to just using her Light element skills, seeing as how they seem to have an intimidating effect on the creatures. Also, because the creatures are not difficult, this would be a good time to get some practice in, in the use of such skills. Kira and Chez Shay wield their guns with great efficiency, and Chez Shay notices that Kira is much better with her gun than she anticipated. It ends up turning into a target practice match between the two to see who can kill the most of the creatures. Bridgette, like Bella, uses her elemental skills, though she has had much more practice with them. Angry at first, she has calmed somewhat now that she knows they are not facing a significant threat. Zan continues to calm Lyla, generating an aura of Tranquility to slow her hyperspeed heart rate.

A Whole Eater leaps in at Kira, but she shoots it up before it can land its attack. Another leaps in and manages to land a slash on Chez Shay, who scoffs quite audibly, and smacks it aside with her Gunbrella, where The Beast blasts it away with a missile. Three Whole Eaters simultaneously leap at Bella, but she swipes a right hook to cast a horizontal Light Slash that kills one and injures the other two, and all three are sent flying against a wall. A Whole Eater drops down on Kira's head, and she yelps. Sasha pops it with a bomb, blowing it off of Kira without hurting her. She shoots it as it goes flying to make sure it's been killed. A Whole Eater leaps at The Beast, and slashes him. He snarls, grabbing the creature by the tail, and starts swinging it around to bat away other Whole Eaters that are leaping in. Bridgette fires a bolt of Chain Lightning, striking five Whole Eaters, and only the fifth is not killed. It retaliates by leaping at her for a slash, and Bridgette responds by defending herself with her arms, forgetting that she does have a Contour Barrier to protect them, resulting in painful cuts. The Whole Eater is electrocuted for its effort and send flying, leaving a trail of purple smoke. Kira, with a yell, fires a sweeping spray of bullets, and kills two Whole Eaters before one leaps in to interrupt her attack and slash her chest, cutting a tear in her suit. Angered, she clubs the creature with her gun, and beats it repeatedly before smacking it with her gun to send it flying. Bella thrusts a hand to cast a Cat Bullet, and it glides forward, lighting up the area around it as it goes, and firing off scads of claw-shaped bolts at every Whole Eater around it. Many dodge, a few take some hits, one is killed by them, but none are hit by the main bullet, keeping away from it due to its light. It bursts brightly the moment it hits a wall. Bella is now completely confident, and launches forth another horizontal Light Slash as she remarks, "You would think these creatures would be smart enough to stop attacking after realizing that we can hold them off with ease."

Zan, still holding Lyla, looks around at the shrieking creatures, as he speculates, "They're probably starving. I can't imagine there is much in the way of edible items here, even for a super-omnivore like a Whole Eater. It's rather saddening, actually. They've probably been preying on each other for who knows how long."

Teresa, focusing for power, sniffs in amusement, and comments, "Only my master would feel sorry for hideous creeps like these things..."

Zan pulls back slightly, still holding Lyla, and looks at her directly, as he gently asks, "Lyla, are you ok now?"

She has, fortunately, calmed significantly, and looks at him with a blush combined with great discouragement, as she miserably replies, "Yes, Zan... I am... I'm sorry... I'm so useless..."

Zan pulls her back into an embrace as he lovingly reassures her, "No, no, you're not useless, you were just affected the worst by their ambush tactic... You can help us now by joining us in fighting these things."

Lyla closes her eyes and breathes to ease herself and her distress. "I'll try..." she whispers.

Sasha releases a bomb to pop on one of the Whole Eaters, sending it flying, and exclaims, "Even I'm doing well, Lyla! I know you can too!" Lyla looks at her, and smiles tentatively.

She then nods, and Zan lets her go. He notices her exposed breast, but turns his attention to fighting the Whole Eaters for now, taking out his Pulse Rifle. Lyla takes out her Tambourines. She starts shaking them, and sprays out the huge volleys of wood-like bolts that strike Whole Eaters in crowds. This gets them to jumping all around to avoid the attacks, and turns the situation into something of a skeet-shooting challenge for the shooters in the group. Kira nails one as it leaps over their heads to get away from Lyla's huge spray of shots. One of the Whole Eaters crashes into Chez Shay's face in its leaping evasion, and promptly clings to her. She yells muffled yells, and struggles to pry it off. The Beast snickers, and blasts it with a missile, shaking Chez Shay as a result. The Whole Eater falls off and dies, and Chez Shay snarls viciously at The Beast, who just shrugs with a smirk. Zan, able to track their movements better with his cybernetic eye, aims more carefully with his Pulse Rifle and takes shots, striking a Whole Eater almost every time, but most of them survive the first shot, except for one that was already injured, and it dies where it stands. Teresa finishes focusing her power and squeals as she thrusts her right hand straight up. Nothing seems to happen, and Chez Shay snerks, until a blob of tar drops from the ceiling and splats on a Whole Eater, pinning it to the floor. The group then notices that she managed to create a Tar Pit in the ceiling, and it is now dripping tar down all around them to pin down Whole Eaters. Kira sprays bullets for another moment, then stops to look up at it the unusual tar formation. "...Well THAT was creative," she remarks. Teresa, grinning with pride, replies, "Wasn't it?" and resumes focusing.

The Beast flies down to one of the pinned Whole Eaters and wails on it with the Whole Eater he has weaponized until both of them are dead. Bella focuses her Light energy into her hands, then thrusts both hands forward, and a series of huge claw-shaped energy waves race forward along the ground, striking and injuring several Whole Eaters, and killing one of them. With their numbers diminishing, the Whole Eaters are becoming increasingly agitated, and start leaping at the group even faster. One of them gets through the group and leaps at Zan, slashing him from behind as he fires at the enemies. Its claw strikes the center of his back, causing an impact spark to be cast off, and the Whole Eater's attack is deflected with a harsh jolt. Zan swings around to shoot it away the next instant. Four Whole Eaters leap over Lyla's spray of shots and come down at Bridgette, though one of them is intercepted by a dropping Tar Blob and is pinned to the floor. Bridgette yelps when they slash her, one of them tearing its claw through the frilly cover of her breasts, ripping it in half and rendering her breasts exposed once again. The other two cling to her sides, and she snarls. Sasha pops one of them with a bomb, knocking it off of Bridgette, and she zaps the other with her Voltage. She raises her arms, building Voltage in them, then thrusts them down toward the ground hard enough to cause her skirt to fly up and, yet again, flash her backside, which Kira, The Beast, Lyla and Zan catch sight of, causing various reactions. The next instant, Bridgette releases a Nova ring that strikes many of the Whole Eaters and sends those that are hit flying, killing several of them in the process and igniting those that have tar stuck to them.

The skirmish continues however as the remaining Whole Eaters have become frantic, and the burning ones throw themselves at the group in a panic. Teresa shrieks when she thrusts a hand upward again, and a Bone Spike juts up from the ground to impale one of the burning ones before it can strike itself against Bella. Bella thanks Teresa as she swipes a hand downward to strike another leaping-in Whole Eater with a Light Slash, and knocking it to the ground. Yet another Whole Eater climbs over it, leaps at Bella, and slashes her leg to cut it and put a tear in her skirt, causing her to yelp. Zan shoots it the next moment, knocking it to the side and killing it. Teresa squeals when one of the Whole Eaters launches itself through the group and rams her, knocking her over. As she struggles with it, The Beast blasts it off of her with a missile, and it goes flying. Chez Shay, Kira and Lyla continue to sweep their bullets all around, and each of them manages to inflict enough damage on at least one Whole Eater to kill it. Still another Whole Eater perishes from being burned to death by the ignited tar stuck to it. Bridgette fires another normal Lightning bolt, striking a Whole Eater and sending it flying, but misses when she fires another bolt. Zan is finding less targets to shoot at, then flinches when one comes leaping in at him. He smashes it aside with a swing of his Pulse Rifle, and shoots it for good measure. Another Whole Eater leaps in at Bella, and lands a slash center down her rear end, causing her to yelp in shock rather than pain, a tear getting cut in her skirt that renders the center of her backside exposed while not actually injuring it. She turns around, swinging a hand, and sends the Whole Eater flying with a Light Slash, killing it in the process. A Whole Eater once again lands on Kira's head, and she hits it with her gun. It stays gripped, and Kira snarls. Lyla focuses her shots on that Whole Eater, barraging its head with focused fire from her Tambourines. It is finally blown off of Kira's head, and she staggers from the creature's being launched. A Whole Eater becomes pinned by one of the dropping Tar Blobs, and Zan and The Beast shoot it in tandem.

Their numbers have dwindled dramatically, and with only a handful of Whole Eaters left, they suddenly stop attacking. Bella's group remains clustered together, ready to continue fighting, when they notice that the creatures have changed the tone of their shrieks to one full of fear. The Whole Eaters skitter from side to side, extremely agitated. Suddenly, they bolt from the group, disappearing into the darkness in the direction the group would be traveling in. Teresa stares at them as they go, and exclaims in surprised delight, "Did they just run away?!"

Lyla is just as surprised, and just as delighted, as she nervously cheers, "W-we won! We beat them!"

Chez Shay belts a malicious laugh of victory, and is joined in by The Beast. Kira, feeling satisfied with the fact she can fight again, also ends up laughing in victory. Bridgette smirks, and Sasha cheers. However, Zan interrupts their celebration with a firm warning, "Not yet. Bella, Whole Eaters build community nests. Considering how many of them we just killed, there must be a nest nearby. I highly recommend we pursue the fleeing survivors, find their nest, and destroy it. Whole Eaters are notorious for rapidly multiplying out of control, and they could damage the Eihemland ecosystem should they escape from this now unsealed tunnel."

Bella gives him an affirmative look, and replies, "You would know, right? Let's get 'em, everyone!"

The group takes off running down the tunnel to chase the fleeing Whole Eaters. As they run, though, everyone notices Bella's exposed backside center, as well as the other exposing clothing damage they have taken. Chez Shay snickers, and comments on this, "Heh, you're certainly getting your fair share of eye candy, aren't you, Zan?"

Zan forms a small smile, maintaining his self-control, and hesitantly replies, "I... honestly can't deny that..."

Bridgette becomes amused, not worrying about her exposed breasts. Lyla blushes with embarrassment. Kira ignores all of this. Teresa snickers. Bella feels her backside and finds the tear in her skirt, and what it's exposing as a result. She grunts in surprise, and blushes, but also forms a suggestive smile. She grips the edges of the slit cut in her skirt and pulls them apart a little to increase the amount of rear end flesh visible, as she flirtingly comments, "This is the exact kind of thing you like, isn't it, Zan?"

Zan's eyes widen at this, and he forms a faint blush, trying to resist allowing the Aroused Icon to form in his cybernetic eye, as he haltingly responds, "Can we just... focus on this extermination objective, please?" Most of the girls snicker, and they continue to chase the Whole Eaters. Kira fires some shots, but is unable to hit them due to the darkness.

Within a few minutes of running and chasing the Whole Eaters, the group comes upon a huge, rather grotesque nest of biomass that is so big it reaches the ceiling, set against the northern wall. The group comes to a stop, and Teresa makes a most disgusted face. Lyla shudders, the hair rising on the back of her neck. Kira, however, finds herself rather intrigued. Chez Shay scoffs in a combination of amusement and revulsion, and comments, "Now THAT, is one nasty bug nest." "SET IT ON FIRE," The Beast bellows with a horrified look. Chez Shay grins evilly, and exclaims in response, "I hear that!"

Large pores in the nest serve as access points for the Whole Eaters. The few that escaped from attacking Bella's group slip in to the nest through the openings. Chez Shay notices Lyla's extreme disturbance at the sight of it. Teresa, too, is highly disturbed, and exclaims, "It's so disgusting! So hideous! I think I'm going to puke!"

Kira, the scientist in her finding this sight to be just plain fascinating, calmly remarks, "...It's not that weird. How much more disgusting is it than Zerg Hive Cluster structures?"

Teresa gags, and says, "I rest my case. GROSS!" She covers her mouth in discomfort.

Chez Shay creeps closer to Lyla, while speaking in as gross a tone as she can muster, "Oozing! Nasty! Slimy! Pulsating!"

Lyla's face turns a shade of green, and she gags hard, slapping a hand over her mouth. "GURK. STOP IT! GAAH!" she squeals, and looks away, trying not to vomit, causing Chez Shay to crack up.

Kira looks around at the group in genuine surprise, and says, "Am I the ONLY one who doesn't think it's THAT disgusting?"

Bridgette, giving the biomass a slightly more mild look of revulsion compared to the others, replies, "Yes... Well, maybe but for Zan."

Bella is also not quite as badly grossed-out, and hesitantly inquires, "Is that the nest, Zan? It looks like a great big internal organ."

Zan, scanning the nest, calmly confirms, "That's the nest alright."

The Beast flails his limbs as he snarlingly chants, "BURN IT! BURN IT!"

Bella forms a cat-grin, takes out her Compression Phaser Rifle, and with a nod, she shouts, "Open fire!"

Everyone starts shooting at the nest. Bella fires her rifle in bursts. Zan fires his Pulse Rifle. Chez Shay, Kira and Lyla barrage it with rapid-fire shots from their weapons. Sasha launches bombs at it. The Beast flings missiles at it. Bridgette fires Lightning bolts. Teresa just observes. She yelps, however, when Whole Eaters quickly pour from the pores of the nest at them, shrieking angrily, and exclaims, "They're defending their nest! Look out!"

The Whole Eaters lunge at the group in a rage. Everyone backs up quickly, and starts defending themselves from the swarming creatures. An entirely new fight breaks out as the angry Whole Eaters retaliate, leaping in to slash at the group. Bella is slashed on the shoulder, yelps, and smacks the Whole Eater with her rifle, then shoots it. Zan is slashed across the chest, hammers the Whole Eater with the butt of his rifle, then kicks it back toward the nest, hitting another Whole Eater in the process. Kira is knocked over by two Whole Eaters who slash at her while she's down, cutting her suit and her body. She screams, and Zan, The Beast and Sasha quickly shoot the creatures off of her. She jumps up, enraged, bleeding, and sprays bullets at the creatures with a furious yell. Zan notices that nearly everyone is bleeding at this point, and a swarm of his Cybranites are released to start auto-healing them. Some of them flinch at first, but become relieved when they realize what's happening.

Chez Shay is pounced upon by two Whole Eaters, manages to shoot one, and is slashed on the side of her hip by the other. The Beast blasts it with a missile, then is slashed himself, and counterattacks with a vicious chomp to the creature's midsection. It shrieks, he flails it like a dog, then flings it away and blasts it with a missile mid-fling. Lyla is slashed, and her remaining top strap is cut, exposing her right breast, resulting in both breasts now being visible. She shrieks in fear, looks at her chest, and whimpers. Teresa is slashed, squeals in pain, and hides behind Zan, where she starts focusing her energy. Sasha retreats into her shell just before taking a hit, and her armored oil lamp shell deflects the hit. Bridgette is slashed across the shoulder, snarls, and blasts the Whole Eater with a Lightning bolt. She then fires a Chain Lightning bolt that kills several Whole Eaters. She sweeps out volleys of Charged Bolts as well, injuring many of the swarming creatures. A Whole Eater leaps at Zan and clings to his face. He grabs it, and pries it off. Then he stops, looks at it as it wriggles, and says, "...You know, I'm actually rather fond of these creatures."

Lyla, spraying bolts from her Tambourines, flinches on hearing this, and responds, "Wh-what?!"

Kira is no longer bleeding due to the healing of the Cybranites. While over half of her chest and stomach are visible through the tears in her suit, nothing critical is exposed. She continuously fires her FN-P90, and snarks, "Byzantian Fandango, lover of the strange and the bizarre. Only YOU would say that."

Teresa, focusing, forms a cute smile, and replies, "Of course you are, master. You have such a weird sense of taste."

Bridgette, sweeping her hands to cast forth Charged Bolts, blasts a Whole Eater with Lightning when it leaps in at her, snerks when she hears Kira's and Teresa's replies, and says, "...What does that say about his fondness for US, then?"

Teresa, still focusing for power, finds herself unsure of how to feel about a question like that, and blurts, "We're different!" She mutters under her breath something about NOT being weird and strange.

Chez Shay, while spraying bullets, hears Teresa try to dismiss that, and goads, "Suuuure. You seem like a pretty strange and bizarre group to me."

Kira smacks a Whole Eater to the ground in front of her, shoves her gun against it and fires bullets to tear it apart. Hearing Chez Shay's taunt causes her eye to twitch, and she snaps, "Oh shut up, you hypocritical lunatic!"

Bella, sweeping her Compression Phaser Rifle in stream-fire mode, looks at the Whole Eater Zan is gripping, and while she may regret asking it, proceeds to inquire, "Zan, do you want to capture one or two of these creatures to take back to the Estate?"

Kira pauses for a moment, stunned at the idea, then promptly dodges a leaping slash, and growls, "You GOTTA be kidding! After what these things did to me?! I'm gonna make sure they are rendered extinct!" She blasts the Whole Eater that lunged at her with bullets, tearing it apart and greatly satisfying Kira.

Zan gives Bella a considerate look, but then closes his eyes with an exhale. He steels himself and throws the Whole Eater he was gripping at a batch of the rest, scattering them, and resumes shooting. He then replies, "I would, but... No. Not only do we lack the appropriate gear to safely capture, care for, and transport them, but they're difficult to keep control of if we did capture some. These need to be wiped out, and if I decide I want to collect some later, we can always go to Gaia-7, where they can be found in abundance in certain areas."

Bella nods, but ends up getting slashed. She grunts in pain in reaction, growls, and sends the Whole Eater flying with a Light Slash. She calmly acknowledges, "Alright then. Good." She resumes firing her Compression Phaser Rifle at the attacking critters.

Bridgette fires a Chain Lightning to kill several Whole Eaters, and a particular thought comes into her mind. She asks, "Zan, do you think Malin would like these things?"

Zan smacks a Whole Eater down before it can slash him, shoots it, and kicks it away, as he replies, "Probably not. She's pretty critical about the bugs she raises. These creatures aren't even of the Arthropod class, so she'd probably reject them."

Teresa, still focusing for power, disdainfully comments, "Malin is so weird... Who in their right mind actually RAISES bugs?! YAAA!" She thrusts a hand toward the Whole Eaters, and a Tar Pit forms in the ground, causing a large number of them to fall in and get trapped. Others march on the bodies of the trapped ones to get at Bella's group. The sight shocks Teresa, and she squeals, "Meep!"

Bella grits her teeth in growing irritation, still sweeping her rifle's phaser beams around, and exclaims, "This is ENDLESS! We need to focus on the nest! ...Beast, Sasha, Bridgette, focus your attacks on the nest! Teresa, try to get some tar on it!"

Zan arches an eyebrow at Bella's very decisive commands. The Beast and Sasha acknowledge, and turn to firing their ballistic projectiles at the nest, which seem to do pretty significant damage to it. Bridgette fires her Lightning bolts at it, and Teresa starts focusing her energy. Bella, Lyla, Zan, Kira and Chez Shay hold the Whole Eaters at bay as best as they can, shooting at the ones that come leaping in for slashes, though Lyla, Bridgette and Chez Shay are slashed again by Whole Eaters that manage to get through their return-fire. Lyla winces in pain from the slash to her side, then notices Zan's Cybranites dart in and start mending the cut. She watches them for a second, then gives Zan a fascinated look as she comments, "Zan, your technology is so mysterious..."

He smirks as he fires Pulse Rifle shots at everything, and replies, "Thank you Lyla. I, too, do what I can."

Teresa, focusing for power again, chimes, "That's my master!" She grins, then grunts excitedly as she thrusts a hand to fire a Tar Blob at the Whole Eater nest.

It hits the nest, and the next moment catches on fire from one of The Beast's missiles. The nest itself becomes ignited the next moment, and Teresa cheers. Suddenly, four creatures emerge from the nest. Nearly identical to the Whole Eaters in shape, they are a little bit larger, and instead of being solid purple, they have a multi-colored hue with predominantly sickly-green shades. Everyone notices when the Alarm Icon forms in Zan's cybernetic eye. He promptly leaps away from the girls, at the four creatures, and lands on one to stomp it down. It survives however, and Zan backflips to avoid a slash from one of them. The girls flinch, and Bella, firing her Compression Phaser Rifle at the dwindling number of Whole Eaters, exclaims, "Zan?! What's wrong?!"

Teresa, having lost her cover, darts over to hide behind Bella, and cries out, alarmed by Zan's sudden shift of focus, "Master! What are THOSE things?!"

Zan doesn't respond, a look of fierce determination on his face as he shoots one of the larger creatures with his Pulse Rifle. It survives still, and leaps at him for a slash that connects, causing Zan to wince and jolt. He knees the creature, then roundhouse kicks it to send it flying and scattering a number of Whole Eaters. Bridgette fires Chain Lightning to kill several more Whole Eaters, while watching Zan battle the obviously more dangerous creatures, and comments, "Whatever they are, he's serious about fighting them directly..."

The girls grow nervous as they fend off the few remaining Whole Eaters and observe Zan's aggressive conflict with the larger creatures. The Beast and Sasha continue to pelt the Whole Eater nest with their ballistics, and it is being blown apart.

One of the large creatures lunges at Zan for a slash, but he blocks with his rifle, shoves it with the weapon, then shoots directly into its mouth to damage it. Another leaps onto Zan from behind, and the girls flinch when he deliberately flops onto his back to smash and stun the creature with his body weight. He backflips over it, and yelps when one of them suddenly spews caustic green fluids at him in a large blast. The girls become horrified at the sight, then relieved when Zan desperately avoids the attack by jumping clean over it and the creature that used it. He swings around and pelts the creature with his Pulse Rifle shots, and it finally dies, converting into a lingering puddle of sizzling green goo that he stays clear of. The girls fend off the few remaining Whole Eaters, killing them, and the nest is now thoroughly burning. The sounds of shrieking Whole Eaters within, perishing from the flames, fills the air. Zan jumps and crashes down hard on one of the larger creatures, crushing it, then quickly jumps off to avoid being exposed to the acid. One of the two remaining ones jumps at him, and manages to land another slash across his side. He slams his elbow down on it to retaliate, and it crashes to the ground. Zan shoots it directly, and Kira and Chez Shay support him from where they stand, shooting the creature and firing at the last remaining one. It turns to face them, and rears itself up to spew acid, but Zan grabs it by its tail, swings it over himself, slams it into the ground, twirls it around, and slams it down again, then shoots it several times in tandem with Bella's shots and a bolt of Lightning from Bridgette, finishing it off, and ending the battle.

The nest burns away, filling the air with strangely fruity smelling smoke. Zan catches a glimpse of a couple of Whole Eaters fleeing down the tunnel in the opposite direction of the one they were traveling in, and clicks his tongue in irritation at their failure to completely exterminate the hive. Only he noticed them. The rest keep their eyes on the burning nest, and on him. He makes a personal notation to himself that Whole Eaters have managed to enter Eihemland.

A calm sets in now, and Zan approaches the women. Teresa promptly hugs him, and cheers, "We did it! We won!"

Chez Shay and The Beast let out a victorious laugh. Kira grins a toothy grin. Bridgette just sighs. Lyla, her breasts exposed, puts away her Tambourines and shudders as she exclaims, "That was terrifying!"

Sasha moves close and joyously says, "But we did it, Lyla! We helped fight, and win!" Lyla smiles a tired smile, and nods.

Bella, standing confidently, exclaims, "We won alright! Now, we just need to destroy the BIGGER nest!"

Everyone stares at her, unsure of what she meant. She becomes frustrated. Finally, after a period of awkward silence, Chez Shay gets it, and says, "Wait... Oohhh, you meant NESTS."

"LAME JOKE," The Beast quickly chides with a mean grin. Bella just growls, while the others roll their eyes.

Teresa looks up at Zan curiously, and inquires, "Master, what were those bigger creatures you attacked so aggressively?"

Zan looks at the heavily corroded spots of the floor where the creatures dissolved into acidic puddles, and explains, "Zolokalter. They are a stronger, Poison-wielding subspecies of the Whole Eater, and serve as swarm administrators when a Whole Eater nest reaches a certain level of development. The fact they came out to attack shows that we had driven them to a point of desperation. Good work, everyone. Especially you, Bella, with those sharp tactical orders."

Bella grins, and nods. The calm settles down on everyone, and they start checking themselves. Zan's Cybranites work quickly to mend their cuts and slashes, and within a few minutes, all of their injuries have been cleared up, leaving only the rather noticeable amount of clothing damage they have sustained. Zan is not exempt from this, and Chez Shay grins at the sight of the large tear in the center of his shirt, exposing some firm chest skin. Chez Shay and Teresa are the only ones to have minimal clothing damage. Zan notices the ominous looks on the girls faces, and sighs. He slowly shakes his head, knowing what's about to happen, and mutters, "Go ahead and have your fun..."

Bridgette, snickering, runs a finger across Zan's chest through the tear, while making sure her exposed breasts are visible to him. Lyla looks down at her exposed breasts, and blushes. Kira checks the tears in her suit, and finds that she is not exposing anything. For some reason, she looks slightly disappointed. Bella turns and tugs at the tear in her skirt, flashing a little more of her backside. Bridgette gives Zan a curious little look, and inquires, "Are you gonna fix our clothing, or do you want us to just stay this way?"

Zan blinks, giving her a mildly surprised expression, keeping his eyes on her face, and asks, "What, you all aren't going to flirt with me this time?"

Chez Shay, checking the damage to her outfit, grumbles, "Why the heck am I the only one without kinky clothing damage?"

Kira just stands there, waiting for everyone to get going again, unconcerned about her suit's tears, and replies, "You were flying the entire time, and harder for the creatures to attack."

Chez Shay fusses, "BOO! I call foul!" "NAY! I CALL FAIR!" The Beast taunts with a smirk. Chez Shay's ire is ignited, and she shouts, "You jerk!" She proceeds to attack The Beast for some reason, and he dodges away from her, laughing.

Teresa watches this banter, confused, and mumbles, "...What?"

Bella, still feeling the tear in her skirt, explains, "She spent all last night naked. Now she's the only one aside from you without something special exposed."

Teresa snickers, and looks at Zan. She notices that Lyla has taken a step closer to him, and has caught his and Bridgette's attention. Extremely nervous, Lyla timidly asks, "...Z-zan..? Do- do you think my breasts are attractive?"

The girls halt immediately, and look at him. He has quickly taken on a mature, respectful expression, and gently answers, "Lyla, your breasts are lovely. As is your entire body, really."

She blushes luminescently, and averts her eyes in strong bashfulness. She flinches when red microbeams start darting around on her chest, bringing the straps together to reattach them, and rendering her breasts covered. Zan points his fingers at Bella, and the tears in her skirt close up. He repairs Bridgette's top, and Kira's suit, and closes the cuts in Chez Shay's and Teresa's clothes as well. Then he repairs his own clothing, leaving everyone's outfits restored. Bridgette adjusts her top so that it secures her breasts once again, though as usual only just barely. She gives Zan an appreciative look, and says, "Thank you, Zan." She also gives him a kindly smile.

The others thank him as well. He nods with closed eyes. However, they flinch when Sasha suddenly calls out, "Everyone! Look at that!" She is staring at where the Whole Eater nest was.

They all turn to see what Sasha is pointing out, and their eyes widen in surprise. They had thought that the Whole Eater nest was built up against a wall. Now that the disgusting mound of biomass has burned away to ash, they find themselves staring upon a secondary passage heading northward. Sasha adds excitedly, "It's a side route!"

Kira grimaces, and mutters, "Oh great, another detour."

Teresa gives her an annoyed look, and asks, "Are you in some kind of hurry, Kira?"

Kira rests her weapon on her shoulder, avoiding eye contact until she finishes her reply, "Hurry? No. Hungry? Yeah."

Teresa remembers this as well, now, and looks away with a sigh. She says, "...I kinda wish I HAD gotten to eat that crab. It would have made for fitting vengeance."

Zan narrows an eye when she mentions the creature again, and, facing her with firm concern, asks, "Did that crab actually HURT you, Teresa?"

She shakes her head, gesturing dismissively, trying to assuage Zan's concern, and quickly responds, "No. No, master, it just menaced me..." Zan stays silent with a dark look.

Staring down the side passage, Bridgette grows more excited by the second, as she declares, "My keen explorer's sense is telling me that this side path is important!"

Bella gives Bridgette an amused expression, then looks around at everyone as she says, "Well, let's take a few minutes to check it out then. I doubt there's any food, but we might find something interesting. We're NOT in a hurry, right?" She gives Zan a look requesting confirmation.

He nods, and replies, "Right. Our situation won't get any better or worse if we take a side path or two."

Chez Shay and The Beast are already close to the side-path, peering down it, though it is just as dark as the main tunnel. The group proceeds down the side-path.

After five or so minutes of walking down the path, the group comes to its end, and finds themselves looking upon a very large door. Larger than the one that was at the entrance to the tunnel from the cave, it is just as ornate. And just as solid. Chez Shay scoffs, and gives Bridgette a disparaging look, as she taunts, "Some 'keen explorer's sense' you have there, pinkie. You lead us to a bigass door."

Bridgette's eye twitches, likely as a result of combining an unflattering nickname with insulting her intuition. She just glowers. However, Zan, whose cybernetic eye has shifted to Scan Mode, speaks up in her defense, "But what is BEHIND the door may be what caught her attention."

Kira is also intrigued, if only because she senses it is using interesting technology, and asks, "Going to scan it?" Zan, currently scanning, replies, "Already doing so."

Everyone else looks around the end of the corridor, and as Zan scans the door, the women notice that there are several large plates on it, nine, in total, made of a different material than the door itself. They all have symbols on them. Bridgette runs a hand across one of them, and finds that it is smoother and even a different temperature. She studies it a little closer, and softly comments, "These plates... There's something important about them..."

Zan finishes scanning, starts checking the results, and states, "This door is sealed as well, with a strong mystic energy type again. However, its unlocking mechanism is on this side of the door. So I won't have to reclaim it or anything, which is good, considering the size and density of the door, as well as the potency of the sealing energies, which are much stronger than those of the door at the start of this tunnel, and combined with the lack of my neotech tie, would require I stand here for over eighteen hours..."

Chez Shay's jaw drops, and she yelps, "We would starve to death sooner!"

Bella, now investigating the plates too, confidently says, "But he won't have to. These plates, Bridgette, do you think they're the unlocking mechanism?"

Bridgette nods with an affirmative grunt, and replies, "I do. They look like your typical switchplates, built into the door itself."

Lyla, also looking close, mutters quietly to the equally-close Sasha, "I think... Yes, is that?" "I think so," Sasha quietly mutters in response.

Lyla's muttering has caught the attention of the others. She takes out one of her Skill Cards. It depicts a wildly undulating series of orbs: the Bounce Card. She doesn't use it, but holds it up beside the plate, and immediately notices that the symbol on her card is a slightly updated-looking version of the symbol on the plate. Her eyes widen as she grows excited, and she looks at the others as she exclaims, "The symbols on the plates are the same as our Skill Cards!"

Bella blinks, and looks closer. Chez Shay comes up to check them out now too. Bridgette checks still closer the plate she is examining. All of them confirm that there are older versions of Skill Card symbols on the plates. Chez Shay lets out a surprised laugh, and comments, "Well I'll be a monkey's executioner! I knew Skill Cards were old, but I didn't think they were older than dirt!"

Zan rests the side of a fist against his mouth as he analyzes his newly-acquired scan data, then speaks with a gesture toward the door, "That leads me to confirm that those plates are definitely the switches to unlock the door. But as we can see, there are several of them, they have symbols on them, and according to my scans, they need to be pressed in a certain order to unlock the door."

Kira, with a fascinated expression, remarks, "Basically an ancient keypad lock. I have to give your ancestors some credit after all, Bella. They were pretty sophisticated for people who didn't even have electricity."

Bella smirks, a snagglefang making an appearance, and she responds with pride, "They INVENTED electricity in this realm."

Kira crimps her mouth, and chides, "Don't let my compliments go to your cats-on-the-brain head now." Bella, however, remains proud and amused.

Teresa, in all her experience living in a dark realm, warily speaks up, "Master, if we have to push them in the right order... what happens if we get it wrong?"

Zan blinks when he realizes the legitimacy of such a question, and lets out a soft groan of concern. He checks his scans of both the door and the immediate vicinity, then becomes calm as he says, "...I do not detect any traps built into the walls, door, floor or ceiling, so it looks like it just resets itself. My scans further indicate that we have to push the switches in the correct order quickly. They reset themselves to the unset position after only a couple of seconds, so it looks like it requires teamwork to unlock. And considering there are nine switchplates, trial and error could take us days, IF we can cooperate for that long."

Kira narrows an eye, giving Zan an incredulous look, and she states, "But your processors could work in tandem with your scans to quickly decipher the code, right?"

Zan looks at her, then at the door, as he starts, "Well, I-" "Where's the fun in that?" Bridgette suddenly interrupts in a tone of annoyance for some reason, "Half of all exploration missions involves solving ancient puzzles the hard way!"

Kira flinches, and glowers as she responds, "Screw the 'hard way', let's just get to discovering what the door is keeping us from! That's where the REAL fun is, right?"

Bridgette grimaces, and starts to reply, "Yeah, but-" "At any rate," Zan cuts in, with just a subtle hint of amusement at getting to interrupt his interrupter, "I was going to say that the mystic energies that have the door sealed, combined with NESTS interference signal, is preventing me from getting the correct code. We're going to have to rely on old-fashioned brain power. Something you have in abundance, right, Kira?"

Bridgette is rather surprised that Zan would interrupt her, but says nothing, still irritated more by Kira's attitude. Kira puts her arms akimbo and narrows an eye as she looks at Zan. She replies, "I can't tell if that was a backhanded compliment or not."

Zan gives her a sincere expression as he says, "You know I would never insult you..."

Bridgette continues what she was about to say, and it quickly turns into an argument with Kira over the true values of exploration. Meanwhile, Bella gestures to catch Lyla's attention as she speaks up, "Lyla, come here."

Lyla hesitantly approaches Bella. She has her look at all of the switchplates on the door, and asks, "What do you see, specifically?"

Lyla slowly pans her view across the door, then curiously looks at Bella as she replies, "Nine of the eleven skill cards depicted on switchplates."

The Beast blinks, observing this particular conversation, and comments, "TWO MISSING?"

Sasha has already noticed that there is a decorative plate on the right wall beside the door. Upon looking closer though, she can tell that it is purely decorative. She looks at the others as she says, "Here's one of the two, but it's just a decoration. Is there one on the opposite wall?"

Teresa, standing the closest, looks, and finds that there is one. She replies, "Yes," and touches it, finding it to be one with the wall itself. She adds, "It's all dry and dusty like the rest of the walls in this tunnel."

Zan takes note of these extra plates, scans them, and finds them to be nothing. He says, "...They're there for decoration. I guess the architects of this tunnel felt the need for completionism in regards to these plates. ...Heh, I know how that feels."

Teresa rolls her eyes, and remarks, "At least they weren't lunatic architects like whoever designs the dungeons of places like Sanctuary and Hyrule."

Sasha looks around at everything that is visible as she comments, "Considering this is just an evacuation bunker tunnel for a king, they probably wouldn't WANT it to be convoluted, or else the escaping royalty could get lost themselves."

Chez Shay makes the "flapping mouth" gesture with her hand as she says, "Yadda yadda yadda, let's just get to solving this damned puzzle and find out if pink-" A sharp glare from Zan and Bridgette mutes her for a moment. She clears her throat, and finishes, "...if Bridgette's intiution was correct."

The Beast has become shocked at the fact that Chez Shay would ever correct herself like that, and, with a stare, mumbles, "ARE YOU... SOFTENING?"

She promptly snatches him by his ears, holds his face close to her sharp-toothed scowling one, and snarls, "Not on your stuffing-filled life!" She flails him around, and he yowls all warped-like.

Zan, however, snickers, and comments, "My Tranquility Aura has that effect, regardless of what you think."

Bella loudly fusses, "Will you people PLEASE be quiet while we try to solve this?"

Teresa immediately puts her arms akimbo with a mischievous sneer, and says, "Oh boy. Is that the corruption of power I sense?"

Bella quickly becomes dismayed, and whimpers, "...Come on, Teresa... I expected you to be on my side."

Teresa maintains her wry smile, closes her eyes, and replies, "Just teasing you. Go on, Bella." Bella sighs.

She and Lyla look at the switchplates. Bella has Lyla take out all of her Skill Cards, of which she has multiples of nearly all eleven. They whisper to each other, with Sasha floating close to provide her own input. Chez Shay prowls around behind them, and occasionally peers over their shoulders. She gradually develops a flustered look, then walks over to the door and leans against it, folding her arms. The Beast is laying on the floor with swirls for eyes. Teresa notices Chez Shay's strange behavior, and carefully inquires, "What's up with you?"

Chez Shay gives her an annoyed look as she replies, "Every witch in Eihemland is skilled with those cards... but for me." She takes out her Gunbrella, suddenly sinister, and adds, "I just prefer to shoot things full of holes."

Teresa finds the sight slightly intimidating, and, wondering if pressing further might be a mistake, nervously asks, "A-and that makes you feel inadequate, right?"

Chez Shay gestures forward as she complains, "It's as if bullets aren't good enough!"

Zan continues to study the door. Bridgette and Kira continue to squabble over the concept of whether the journey is just as valuable as the reward. Teresa notices this, and grimaces. Zan doesn't get involved. Bella and Lyla have become so engrossed in their deliberation that they don't even notice. Bella converses quietly with Lyla, "Ok, so, we've confirmed that the Swing and Spear symbols are not being used."

Lyla puts those cards away and replies, "Right. That leaves these nine."

Sasha lists them off, "Arrow, Tail, Seven Star, Decoy, Bubble, Bounce, Wave, Roll, and Fire Bomb. All very good Skill Cards."

Lyla gives the Arrow card a dull look and quietly comments, "I don't like Arrow much, though."

Bella looks at the two and asks, "What kind of order would you use? As a code for something, that is."

Lyla thinks, resting a finger on her mouth for a second, and responds, "Something easy to remember? We don't know what's behind the door, but if it were a hidey-hole, I'd want it to be something I could quickly call to mind so I can get in fast, even when I'm scared."

Bella nods with a soft smile as she quietly acknowledges, "I was thinking the same thing. ...I was wrong about you, Lyla."

"Huh?" Lyla reacts with a blink, looking straight at Bella curiously.

"You're annoying in your self-depreciation, but you've got more skill than you think you do, and lead everyone ELSE to think you do," Bella explains with genuine friendliness.

Lyla becomes bashful, averts her eyes, and responds, "Oh, I don't know about that..."

"If anything, your compatibility with Zan's aura shows you are a good person," Bella adds with a smile.

Lyla grows even more bashful, and says, "Stop it..."

"Alphabetical," Bella suddenly states.

Lyla falls silent, blinks, narrows an eye, and reacts, "Wha?"

Bella was using that time to come up with whatever potential order the symbols may be used in, and muses, "Hmm... Alphabetical by card name?"

Lyla's eyes grow wide with enthusiasm, and she exclaims, "Well, hey, yeah, that might be good!"

Sasha speaks up, however, "Wait. That's a little too obvious. I would reverse it."

Bella and Lyla stare at Sasha, then each other, then at the door's switchplates. An affirmative expression envelops their faces. The others are busy with their own activity, but for Teresa, who noticed them look up at the door. Lyla puts her Skill Cards away. Bridgette and Kira are still squabbling. Bella interrupts the others when she announces, "Everyone! We think we have the code! It's not terribly original, but I feel sure it is the correct one! Help us press the switchplates!"

Chez Shay stands up straight now as she responds, "Freakin' FINALLY. Are brainstorms supposed to take that long?"

Zan is highly intrigued as he inquires, "What do you think the code is?"

Bella, with a proud little smirk, states, "Reverse alphabetical order by card name."

Kira immediately becomes very skeptical and replies disdainfully, "...Why would someone use a code so ridiculously obvious?"

Bella maintains her smirk as she retorts, "I can think of several reasons, Kira. If you can't, you're not as smart as you claim."

Kira, highly offended, starts thinking about it, and realizes that, on top of Lyla's panic-room idea, the remote location of the door as well as the fact the tunnel is largely unknown would mean security doesn't need to be super-tight. Plus there's the fact that not everyone is going to know the names of the Skill Cards the symbols on the plates depict. She grumbles, refusing to admit that she didn't think of these things immediately.

Under Bella's direction, the group moves up against the door, with each person, including Sasha and The Beast, resting a hand on a switchplate, with Sasha being the exception, as she just presses her shell against one. Bella assigns a person to a switchplate in reverse alphabetical order, with herself at the lowest letter to start it off. She carefully explains, "This is the order we need to press the switchplates in: Myself, Lyla, Sasha, Zan, Chez Shay, The Beast, Bridgette, Teresa, Kira. You already know we have to be coordinated, so let's try to get along for this one thing!"

Hearing such an expression leaves Zan feeling just a tad concerned, and he comments, "...Is my Tranquility Aura weakening or something? Everyone getting along shouldn't be a problem..."

Bridgette gently replies, "No, Zan. This is just a high-stress mission is all. We've been without our gear for too long, and we have two guest party members. You've been doing fine, and I think everyone else has too." Zan gives her a sad look, and says, "...I hope so."

Teresa decides to add, "That and we have a grump and a lunatic in our party. I had no idea I'd be working with such a bunch of weirdos when I joined the Amethytus Estate."

Chez Shay smirks, and taunts, "And YOU aren't weird, little miss tarcompulsive?"

Teresa scowls. Zan looks down in disturbance, and remarks, "...My Tranquility Aura definitely must be weakening..." Bridgette reacts to this with a gentle, encouraging vocalization, and Zan gives her a soft look.

Bella, however, becomes frustrated, and exclaims, "Come ON, people, that's the OPPOSITE of getting along! Now, remember that order. Everyone ready?! On the count of three! ... One..." Everyone tenses, "Two..." Everyone becomes excited, "THREE!" Chez Shay yelps.

Bella presses her switch, Lyla presses her switch, Sasha presses her switch, Chez Shay presses her switch... Zan blurts, "I was supposed to go next!" "DAH!" Chez Shay reacts. The switches promptly reset.

Teresa grimaces, and mutters, "Stupid..."

Chez Shay flares a furious face at Teresa and snaps, "WHAT?!"

Teresa pushes her head toward Chez Shay as she drawls, "Stuuupiiid!"

Chez Shay snarls viciously, "YOU LITTLE-" "STOP!" Bella hollers, "TRY AGAIN! ONE, TWO, THREE!"

All within the span of three seconds, Bella presses her switch with a grunt, Lyla presses her switch with a squeak, Sasha presses her switch cheerfully, Zan presses his switch dynamically, Chez Shay presses her switch with excitement, The Beast presses his switch with a shout, Bridgette presses her switch very eagerly, Teresa presses her switch with an excited cry, Kira presses her switch with annoyance.

The switches stay pressed in, a grinding noise emits from within the door, and it starts to rumble. Everyone pulls back, their hearts racing with excitement. Bella, Lyla and Sasha start to cheer as the door, one solid piece, slowly begins to descend into the floor. Bridgette's eyes widen in awe. Zan folds his arms with a strong smile, and nods approvingly. Chez Shay and The Beast start to laugh. Kira's demeanor improves as she watches the ancient machine do its thing. Teresa becomes quite excited and moves to join Bella and Lyla in celebrating. Some debris and plenty of dust drops from the ceiling around the group as the entire area shakes mildly from the door's descent. Bridgette proclaims in utter fascination, "Amazing... For this thing... to still work... after THREE HUNDRED YEARS."

Kira, also very impressed, comments, "Bella's ancestors may truly HAVE invented electricity in this particular realm..."

Teresa, giving Bella a very excited and proud look, responds, "What's truly amazing is the fact that Bella could figure out the code on the first try!"

Bella puts her arms akimbo in a manner similar to how Teresa tends to do so, and with a cat grin, replies, "Yeah, well, I too am a genius. Just of a different sort." She winks at Lyla, who becomes bashful again. She wouldn't have wanted to be lavished with praise for such an accomplishment, so she allows Bella to take the credit.

Kira, with two fingers on her chin as she thinks about this whole thing, inquires, "How could you have known what was the order of the symbols to press, though?"

Bella gestures toward the lowering door as she explains, "They depicted our Skill Cards' symbols, and we know our Skill Cards' names by heart. It was a simple matter of positioning everyone after that. Good job, everyone!"

They cheer again, but break into coughing when a huge plume of dust blasts up from the large slot the door is sinking into the moment it comes to a stop, air pressure forcing the dust out around the door. Everyone coughs for a few seconds, until Chez Shay lets out one enormous sneeze that blows all the dust away. They stare at her, and she snorfs, "Scuza."

A long, drawn-out gasp from Bridgette catches the group's attention next. They look at her, and see her staring wide-eyed and wide-smiling into the chamber ahead. She steps forward, seemingly entranced. They look now too. And find themselves staring at an old, item-filled treasure vault.

The chamber ahead, a large storage vault, is lined with shelves and tables, with several chests on the floor, and many items resting on almost every platform. It is a small stash compared to some, but there are still plenty of items within. The group enters the vault, and gazes with amazement. They remain stunned, until Bridgette breaks the silence with a squealing exclamation, "Treasure! We found treasure! My intuition was right!"

Lyla, just as amazed, comments, "This wasn't a hidey-hole... It was a treasure vault! Sasha?"

Sasha is completely astonished, and responds, "I had heard nothing about the king who built this tunnel also building a treasure vault!"

Zan is very pleased with the sight, and remarks, "Ah, but that makes sense. Even self-glorifying kings know they need to keep the location of secret treasure vaults under wraps. It looks as though this place was forgotten though. And it looks as though this trove is incomplete. There are quite a number of containers and platforms just lying around empty." He looks at an empty treasure chest, grins, and adds, "...But even empty containers can be valuable to the right person... Hmm..."

Bridgette cheers, "Regardless, we've found a treasure stash! Let's check it out!"

Chez Shay excitedly states, "My favorite KIND of 'checking out'. LOOTING!"

The group spreads out into the vault to excitedly examine the items. Bridgette approaches a table with a collection of tableware made entirely of precious metals, including plates, cans, goblets, an urn and utensils. Nearly everything has a fine layer of dust, but Bridgette, picking up a dish of gold, finds that the dust is easily cleaned off, and due to lack of handling and erosion, the plate is in very good condition still.

Bella opens one of the chests, and her eyes glitter in response to the pristine-condition pile of gemstones glittering back before her by way of her Luminate. She buries her hands in the pile, and lifts a cluster of them up to look them over. She cannot hold back an excited little laugh. The stones have no dust on them, due to being inside a closed container.

Chez Shay and The Beast approach a rack with a suit of gold armor that is encrusted with gem stones. She and The Beast look at each other with big, menacing grins. She takes the helmet off of the rack and looks it over, brushing the dust off. She also comments, "Crazy gaudy." "ORNAMENTAL ARMOR. DUH," The Beast blatantly points out. Chez Shay snerks, and responds, "Ya think? I bet the king wore this."

Zan approaches a painting set within a gem-encrusted frame of gold. The painting depicts a man and woman dressed in extremely regal gowns. He rests a hand on his chin as he scans it, and identifies the man as King Bo'ojeram III and his wife. Zan can see, even through the painting, the vanity in the eyes of both of them. The quality of the work, however, is very high, and Zan finds himself impressed.

Teresa opens a hinged crate, and finds herself staring at a bunch of extremely high quality garments, neatly folded up and stashed away. She narrows an eye, and reaches in, only to immediately notice that the clothing is extremely soft and feels good to the touch. She pulls out a hooded cloak with very detailed embroidery and fancy tassels. She grins, and checks out the other lovely pieces of clothing.

Lyla and Sasha approach a rack of weapons. Two swords, a scepter, a set of matching hammers, all finely crafted of precious metals, and all encrusted with gemstones. One sword, which appears to be made of glass, catches her attention. She takes it off the rack, and admires it. When she draws the blade from its sheath, the glass blade glints in the light of her Luminate, as fresh as the day it was made, having been protected from the dust by its sheath. The impracticality of a glass sword notwithstanding, it certainly makes for a lovely piece of art.

Kira is not terribly interested, but decides to open one of the chests, and finds a stash of gold coins up to the rims. She smirks, and buries her hands in it. They run against something larger within the stash, and she tries to pull it out, but the immense weight of the gold coins renders it extremely difficult. She struggles, and grunts, and steels herself to find out what this thing is buried at the bottom of the coin stash.

Her heart racing with excitement over such an amazing find, Bridgette scans the room to take in what else is here. She shortly finds herself buzzing with excitement, and, setting the gold dish down, she approaches Zan quickly. She grabs him by an arm, causing him to flinch and look at her. He can see her eyes sparkling, and for a moment becomes distracted by this sight, which is to him just as beautiful as any gem-encrusted treasure. She almost frantically begs, "Zan! These things would make for such wonderful additions to our gallery! We NEED to take these things, Zan! Please! I haven't had a find like this in two years! We gotta take these things! Please!"

Bella happens to notice that the underside of the lid of the gemstone treasure chest has several slots holding silver plates with sockets into which intricately-cut gemstones have been inserted. She takes one of them out to look it over in awe. She hears Bridgette, and looks at Zan intently.

Chez Shay has taken off her rabbit-ear headband, put on the bejeweled helmet, and has started acting like a soldier, though in a goofy, exaggerated manner, causing The Beast to laugh. They stop when they hear Bridgette, and stare at Zan.

Teresa has taken out a long, mauve scarf of pristine cashmir, and after shaking it out, wraps it around her neck and rubs it against her face. She coos in response to how good it feels, then notices Bridgette's pleadings. She stops to look at Zan. She knows him pretty well, but this is a new situation for her, and she wonders what his response will be.

Lyla accidentally blinds herself with the light of her Luminate reflecting off the glass sword, and flinches. Sasha chuckles softly, and Lyla chuckles too as she rubs her eyes, blushing with embarrassment. She notices Bridgette, and stops to see what Zan has to say.

Kira, pulling with all her might, manages to yank the object out from under the coins, though she flops back onto her rear end. She ends up holding the item high, and stares at it, finding herself looking at an amazingly glorious crown. She forms a huge grin. She stops, though, when she hears Bridgette, and looks at Zan.

With everyone staring at him, and Bridgette giving him puppy-dog eyes, Zan's demeanor becomes just a little concerned. He looks around at everything in the trove, and at all of the excited girls. He remains silent, and the Deliberation Icon forms in his cybernetic eye. Bella suddenly speaks up, "Wait a minute! I'm the leader here!" She holds the silver, gem-encrusted plate against her chest as she continues, "And I say, we collect this treasure! If anything, we earned this for dealing with all the stress we've had so far on this mission!"

Zan gives her a stern look, and despite Bella's attempt to make the decision, responds, "Well... ...According to my scans from earlier, that door hasn't been opened in around three-hundred years, so everything in this room has clearly been abandoned. That is certainly long enough for items to fall under the category of forgotten treasure, and I highly doubt the original owners are still alive, so. Yes." The girls feel a rush of exhilaration, and he finishes, "You have my permission to collect the items." The girls smile brightly, but Zan adds, "On the condition..." Everyone freezes, giving him looks of dread, as he states, "That once we've driven NESTS from this realm, we make it a point to inform the Eihemland Royalty of this find, and get THEIR permission to KEEP it."

The girls look at each other, and find this condition to be very reasonable. They murmur acknowledgements. Bella, however, finds herself a little frustrated, and fusses, "But... I'm the leader... I said we can take it and keep it. My word should be good enough!"

Zan gives Bella a gentle, yet firm, look, and says, "You may be the party leader, but I still hold the final authority. You're the 'captain', but I am the 'administrator'. Please remember that, Bella. To be a true leader, you must also know your true place in the chain of command."

Bella lets out a soft exhale, and her demeanor rises. She nods affirmatively with a soft grunt, and replies, "I understand."

Zan looks around at the treasure as he comments, "On top of that, this particular situation is a decision that affects the reputation of the Amethytus Estate. Would you want my faction to become known for looting ancient vaults without local permission? I feel sure we'll get to keep the treasure, but, when it is the case, proper channels must be used as well."

Kira, giving Zan a mild look of consideration, remarks, "I guess you do know how to run a faction."

Teresa defensively exclaims, "Of COURSE he does, Kira! He's been doing it for years! Right, master?" She gives him a cute look.

He sniffs in amusement, and replies, "More than you know..." He walks over to one of the empty chests, and, as something of an indicator to proceed with the acquiring, stores it in his personal pocket dimension.

The girls eagerly set about storing the items themselves. Bridgette dashes back over to the collection of tableware, and starts storing it. Bella quickly stores the silver, gem-encrusted plates. She looks at the chest itself, hesitates, and tries to pick it up with a grunt. When she can't even make it budge, she nods to herself when she knows there's no way she can pick up the whole thing. She looks at Zan as he shoves another empty chest into his own pocket dimension, and comments, "Zan, these treasure-filled chests are gonna be way too heavy for us."

He looks, and chuckles as he approaches. "I figured," he responds.

Zan takes a moment to scan the chests to ascertain their weight. As he does this, he passes a glance at the chests of gold coins, as well as the gem-filled one. Between them, his eyes pass over Bella. Suddenly, a thought sparks through his mind, and a very minute smile forms on his face. The girls happen to notice this, and wonder what went through his mind. The scans finish, and he confirms that he can lift the chests. The girls watch as he, with a hard grunt, hefts the entire chest into the air, causing Teresa, Bridgette and Chez Shay to cheer. He then slips the entire thing into his pocket dimension, and the girls laugh.

Kira sets the crown on her head, then gestures toward the chest she retrieved it from, and states, "Gonna need that for this coin stash too." She also notices two other chests with coins in them, and adds, "...And those."

Zan pretends to be exasperated as he faux-complains, "I didn't come on this mission expecting to be a FURNITURE MOVER." He proceeds to use his cybernetically-augmented physical strength to lift and store these chests as well, and the girls laugh and admire the amazing action.

Bridgette flinches when she notices that Kira's wearing the crown, Teresa's wearing the scarf, and Chez Shay's wearing the helmet. She speaks up authoritatively, "Girls, don't keep any of the treasure out in the open. It might be fragile due to centuries of storage. We'll need to take it back to the Estate and have it examined first, and fix any integrity issues before it can be actually used."

Kira grunts, Teresa nods, and Chez Shay mutters. They remove the items they put on, and put them away in their personal pocket dimensions. Lyla takes the weapons off of the rack, but gives them uncomfortable looks, and hesitantly speaks up, "...I don't want these... Does anyone want these?"

Teresa notices the scepter, and her eyes glitter at the sight of it. She exclaims, "OOH! I want that!"

Lyla quickly becomes discouraged, and replies, "...That's the one thing I wanted..."

Teresa narrows an eye, mutters, "Erhm..." and looks at the clothing she has before her in the crate she's investigating. She takes out a beautiful sash, and after quickly checking it over, holds it up toward Lyla and says, "I'll trade you!"

Lyla's eyes light up, as she finds the garment quite attractive. She replies, "...Ok!"

They trade the items, and store them. Zan stores the crate of regal clothing afterward. Chez Shay stashes the entire suit of armor, causing The Beast to give her a weird look, and he reacts, "WHAT THE HECK?"

Chez Shay gives him a giddy grin and says, "I'm so totally gonna sell it." The Beast snickers.

However, Bridgette's eye twitches when she hears this, she immediately turns on Chez Shay, and exclaims, "Sell what?! No you're not! No one's selling ANY of this! Give it!" She quickly approaches Chez Shay threateningly.

Chez Shay immediately goes on the defensive, and snarls viciously, "MAKE ME!"

Zan lets out a frustrated grunt, and speaks up before they lay into each other, "...Bridgette, maybe if you actually asked nicely..."

Bridgette keeps her glare on Chez Shay, who returns it just as intensely, as she growls, "No one who plans to SELL ancient artifacts deserves being nice to!"

Zan slowly shakes his head, approaching to get between them. He speaks as he moves, "...It goes a long way, nevertheless. Chez Shay, please don't sell that armor. Let us take it instead."

Chez Shay zips up close and gives Zan an enamored look, and coos, "Anything for you, lover boy..."

She hands over the suit of armor, and Zan stashes it. She sticks her tongue out at Bridgette, who just huffs and resumes storing her own items.

In the end, Chez Shay takes nothing, and Lyla only takes the sash Teresa offered her. The Amethytus women take everything else. Bella notices this, and becomes concerned. She asks, "Lyla? Aren't you going to take something?"

She shyly replies, "No... Not really... I don't have any interest in these old things. They're pretty, but I'm already surrounded by pretty things. I'm WEARING pretty things. I'm ok." She fondles the jewelry that hangs from her person affectionately.

Sasha gives her a curious look, and inquires, "What about that glass sword?"

Lyla smiles cutely, and answers, "No, I was just playing with it. They can have it."

Bridgette gives Lyla a gentle expression of appreciation, and says, "Thanks, Lyla. ...Chez Shay, what about you..?" She gives HER a wary look.

She waves her hand dismissively, and states, "I couldn't care less. I was gonna sell whatever I took, and since Zan asked me not to, I'm fine. BUT YOU OWE ME." She aggressively points at most everyone with each word, "EVERY - LAST - ONE - OF - YOU. I helped you all! I saved your asses! So when the time comes, I plan to collect!" She gives Zan another enamored look, and seductively finishes, "Ok, Zan..?"

He chuckles, and acknowledges, "Gotcha."

Finishing up, the group gathers around the painting. They stare at it, and slowly but surely, their expressions all shift into repulsion. Teresa finally just says, "...That thing is ugly."

Sasha blinks, and states, "Come to think of it, that IS the king who built this tunnel."

Teresa repeats for emphasis, "UGLY."

Zan nods, and replies, "My scans confirm it. The frame's nice, though."

Teresa drawls as hard as she can, "UHH-GLEEEE!"

"OOOGLAY," The Beast barks, causing Teresa and Chez Shay to snicker.

Bridgette tries to avert her eyes from the vain faces of the people presented within, and says, "I like the frame too, but... Zan?" She gives him an inquisitive look.

He seems to know what she's getting at, and replies, "Yeah, I know what you're thinking. And yes, the picture is fused with the frame. They can't be separated without one of them being destroyed. I'll grab it, and when we meet with the royalty, we'll let them keep it, since it'll probably have historical value to them. That might even improve our chances of getting to keep everything else."

He takes the painting off of the wall, and the hook that was holding it crumbles to pieces the next instant. Zan stores the painting. Everyone looks around the empty vault. Chez Shay then takes note that EVERYTHING, but for the things that were bolted to the floor or wall, has been picked up. She snarks, "Zan, why the heck did you take the empty chests too?"

He forms a silly look as he replies, "Violet and the little ones love to play with big, empty containers."

Bella lets out a soft, smiling grunt, giggles, and comments, "Like a cat!"

Zan snickers, nods, and adds, "Very much so. Plus, ornamental containers like treasure chests are lovely pieces of furniture, and _I_ love furniture." He gives them a wide-eyed look of desire. The girls laugh and acknowledge.

Having cleaned out the vault, they move to its exit, and leave the chamber. They start back toward the "T" intersection. As they go, Bella looks back, and wonders out loud, "How do you suppose the door is shut?"

Bridgette thinks about that for a moment, recalling past experiences in ancient vaults, and speculates, "Probably whoever created the mystic energy seal did it with their kinetic powers. But if the seal hasn't been broken for three hundred years, the method might have been forgotten along with the stash itself. Now that we have everything, and it's clear the current royalty doesn't use it, it doesn't matter."

Teresa sarcastically adds, "It'll just become another nest for hideous alien bugs."

The group, now in very good spirits, though still hungry, eventually reach the "T" intersection, and resume their trek eastward through the tunnel.

The remainder of travel through the tunnel proves as uneventful as the first half. The girls converse, Chez Shay ends up chasing The Beast when he pesters her to the breaking point again, and no creatures are encountered. Everyone seems to be getting along better than before, and Zan speculates that having received a reward of sorts for their troubles in this mission has greatly improved their morale. They agree. After a while, however, Kira, Teresa and Bella are growing weary of walking through a bleak tunnel. Lyla pulls out her carpet, and has them sit with her on it, and they use it as a respite for their feet. They continue onward.

After an hour of travel and conversation, their talking is interrupted by the sounds of flowing water, and they also notice a source of dim light in the distance. They pass intrigued looks amidst each other, and continue through the tunnel. The brightness of the light steadily increases, and they notice an increase in the moisture of the air, as they get closer to the sounds of the water. Soon, they reach the end of the tunnel, and find themselves gazing upon an amazing sight.

Set before them, is a literal wall of water. Flowing southward, the wall appears to actually be an extremely deep and wide underground river, but the water reaches to the ceiling and beyond, and the light is coming from above, producing a beautiful rippling light effect on the walls and floor of the tunnel. What they can't figure out right away, is how the water is standing upright, without flooding into the tunnel. Lyla finds herself completely amazed, and exclaims, "Whaaaaa... That is so beautiful!"

Teresa is awed, her mouth hanging open for a moment, until Zan, who is standing beside her as she sits on Lyla's carpet, gently closes it with his hand, causing her to blush in embarrassment. She looks at him, and comments, "It's standing on its own! How is that possible?!"

Kira, extremely intrigued, especially since they're dealing with water here, quietly speculates, "...Air pressure?"

Bella is a little less surprised, since she's seen some peculiar things before, and says, "I would guess a glass wall if I couldn't already see there was none."

Zan proceeds to start scanning it, and the girls patiently wait, until he starts to speak, "This is the Eihemland City River. The river is known for being really deep, and it would seem that whoever constructed this tunnel imbued this section of the river with yet another type of mystic energy that keeps the walls standing upright. It's this way on the other side as well, where the tunnel continues."

The women get off of Lyla's carpet, and everyone comes close to the water to look at it. Within the water, ahead of them, they can see a wall of grating in its center and running parallel with the river. And above, they can see a ceiling of grating a few meters above the height of the tunnel ceiling. They can see sunlight from above as well. Lyla pokes her finger in the water, and finds it to be quite cool. She cups her hands in the water, and splashes her face with it, then lets out a contented sigh. The girls snicker, and start messing with the water as well. Kira sticks a hand in it. Chez Shay runs a finger up and down. Teresa sips some of the water. She becomes delighted, sips a little more, and cheerily says, "It's so fresh!"

Zan checks that portion of his scan data, and acknowledges, "Aside from silt and the usual microbes, it's quite clean."

The others take a drink of the river water as well. As they do, Chez Shay waits until they've had a decent drink of the water, before commenting, "...What, no fish poop?" The girls immediately gag and sputter.

Zan tries to avoid showing amusement, and speaks up, "None. It's safe to drink. No pollutants of any sort."

Kira still glares at Chez Shay and snaps, "Did you HAVE to say that?"

Chez Shay snickers, and most of the girls glare at her. They resume examining the wall of water, and take note of the grating wall in its center. As they stand there, however, Chez Shay moves behind Bella. She forms an evil grin and places a hand on Bella's back, causing her to immediately form a look of dread. Chez Shay shoves her forward, and without a splash, Bella falls forward into the wall of water, which remains largely undisturbed. "CHEZ SHAY! NO!" Teresa shrieks as she runs over to push Chez Shay back a little too late.

Bridgette's eyes widen in alarm as she urgently adds, "What are you doing?!"

They watch as Bella floats there in the water, which only mildly pushes her southward. She looks around, then starts to swim in the water. Noting this, they calm just a little, and watch her move around. Kira tilts her head slightly, and remarks, "...Well apparently the water is safe to swim in as well."

Zan is giving Chez Shay a stern look, and says to everyone, "The hydrostatic pressure is low, and the temperature, while chilly, is not dangerously low. What IS dangerous, is doing stuff like that! Chez Shay, if you keep this up..."

She quickly gives him a suggestive look, and responds, "You'll what?"

Zan just sighs, and shakes his head. Chez Shay snickers, feeling no remorse. Bella swims back toward the group and flops out of the wall of water. She climbs to her feet, dripping, her clothing completely soaked, so that her top is now fully transparent again, allowing her breasts to be visible. By this point however, having had it happen so many times, she doesn't even care any more. She just storms up to Chez Shay, who gives her a sneer, and Bella glowers at her as hard as she can. Before she can say anything, Chez Shay speaks first, "Look at it this way: you're giving Zan more eye candy."

Through gritted teeth and dagger-sharp glaring, Bella seethes, "You are SO ANNOYING."

Teresa checks on Bella, but is calm now as she says, "I'm just glad you're not hurt."

Kira gives her a look-over, and asks, "How was it?"

Bella looks at the water, trying to let Chez Shay's antics go, and replies, "Cold, wet, kinda hard to resist the current, but I didn't feel endangered."

Chez Shay folds her arms with a smug look, and says, "No harm, no foul then."

"Jerk," Bella snaps, and swings around to turn her back on her. In the process, she swings out her soaked hair to smack Chez Shay and leave a lot of water on her.

Chez Shay flinches, and her eyes flare wide as she snarls, "You did NOT just wet-hair-whip me!" "ANYWAY..." Bridgette cuts in, "Does anyone else see that grating wall in the middle of the river?"

Teresa nods, and says, "I was actually just about to ask about that. Master, you said the tunnel continues on after this wall of water, but I don't see a way past that grating, and it is spread out everywhere to completely prevent getting around."

Zan hums in curiosity, and focuses his scans on it. After a moment, he answers, "It is blocking us completely, yes, but, after centuries of being perpetually submerged in running water, it's pretty eroded. I don't know if anyone else can see it, but directly ahead, in the center of the grating, is a gate. Which would make sense, since this is supposed to be an escape tunnel. The gate is sealed like the door back in the cave, but it's so badly eroded, we might be capable of just destroying it to get through."

Bridgette puts a hand in the water again to feel the temperature, as she comments, "So it looks like we're going to have to take a swim. I guess we won't be needing to take our showers once we get home, cause we're about to take a bath."

Bella grimaces, thinking about bathing in that river water, and replies, "It was a little too cold for that."

Zan faces Lyla, and she notices that he is giving her a mildly concerned look. He inquires, "Do you know how to swim, Lyla? You do live in a desert."

She finds herself pleased by his concern, happily nods, and answers, "Mm-hmm! We have pools at our palace, and I learned at an early age!"

This is met with Zan's approval, and he looks at the others as he says, "Good. Everyone here knows how to swim, right?"

Everyone but for Sasha and The Beast acknowledge. Lyla looks toward the gate within the water, and asks, "How are we going to destroy the gate, though?"

Kira speaks up, grinning wide with her beautiful teeth, "THIS is MY specialty. If ANYONE here is a queen of some sort of element, I am, with water! Watch and learn!"

She lunges forward into the water, which envelops her. The group observes, as Kira swims like an olympics expert toward the grating in the center, utilizing her HydroKinesis to increase her underwater movement beyond normal human capabilities. Chez Shay pulls her head back slightly in surprise, and admits, "...She's more versatile than I expected."

Bella is equally impressed, having not seen Kira's true prowess in deep bodies of water before, and excitedly remarks, "She swims like a Zora!"

Zan folds his arms, smiling with warm approval, and comments, "For a girl who themes herself after a cat, she is remarkably at home in the water."

Teresa flinches when a thought comes to mind, and she snerks. This catches everyone's attention, especially when she starts snickering. She notices the others giving her an odd look, and says, "Does that make her a catfish?"

Everyone busts out laughing, causing Kira to pause and look back at them. She immediately suspects that they made a joke at her expense, and glares. She continues on toward the gate, and once she reaches it, she gives it a look over. She can see the hinges and the locks, and everything does indeed look quite eroded. She narrows her eyes knowingly, then turns to swim away from it. Bridgette becomes concerned on seeing Kira pull away, and she asks, "What is she doing? Did she see something that will keep her from breaking it?"

Zan, however, has his suspicions, and replies, "Wait just a moment."

They continue to watch, as Kira swims a little farther away from the gate, then turns toward it. She strains herself, building up energy, then darts forward toward the gate, flying like a torpedo and creating a massive surge of aquatic energy around her. The girls stare in surprise, as Kira proceeds to slam head-first into the gate with tremendous force, buffering herself with hard water to protect against recoil damage. The gate is smashed clean out of its frame, and sinks to the bed of the river below. "Whoa..." Teresa mumbles. "Nice," Zan says with a grin.

Chez Shay's eyes are wide, and she exclaims, "That was AWESOME. The kid's got some moves!" "SUGGOI!" The Beast shouts in addition.

Bridgette notices that Kira has started gesturing to the group, and says, "What is she doing now?"

Lyla becomes a little nervous as she responds. "She's waving for us to follow! Guess it's time to get wet..."

Bella, full of confidence, declares, "Alright then! Let's get to swimming! The current's not too strong, but it's a long distance, so get ready."

Sasha retreats into her oil lamp shell, and Lyla attaches it to her outfit. The Beast gives Chez Shay a modest look, and she just gestures toward her back with a tilt of her head. He moves behind her and clings to her back. Bella, Lyla, Bridgette, Chez Shay, Teresa and Zan take deep breaths, jump into the water, and start swimming toward the center. It doesn't take any more than a few seconds for Zan to realize that he has quite a view. Being behind everyone, he can see up the skirts of Bella, Bridgette and Chez Shay, and due to the former two's lack of underwear, the sight is quite extraordinary. He only allows himself to see this for a few seconds before he focuses his attention on swimming, and making sure everyone can make it safely through. He can hold his breath indefinitely, but he quickly becomes worried about the others. Teresa, in particular, seems to be having a hard time, with her feeble swimming abilities. Zan moves up to her, and she gives him a panicked look. He gently takes her arm, and directs her to cling to his back the same way The Beast is for Chez Shay, so she does, with a loving expression. Everyone else seems to be doing well enough, though the water is causing some drag on Lyla's saggy pants, and Bridgette's frilly little breast-covering, which already only just barely hangs on to start. On top of this, being soaked now, Bridgette's breast covering joins Bella's top in being completely transparent. Kira waits for them at the gate. When they reach it, they pass through one at a time.

Lyla comes too close to one of the broken hinges, and it snags her pants. She doesn't notice until she has swum a short distance forward and feels her pants being pulled. The others stare in surprise and amusement, and Lyla panics and blushes, when she finds her pants at her ankles, which confirms to everyone that she wears nothing under her floaty pants that can defy gravity, but not water. Chez Shay grins wide, and Bridgette, Bella and Kira quickly look at Zan to see his reaction. Lyla struggles to unsnag her pants, but shortly realizes, with a muffled whimper, that she's running out of breath, and turns to swim to the end without them. This makes the others even more amused, and they pass through the gate afterward. Once it is Zan's turn to pass through, he quickly reclaims the hinge that snagged Lyla's pants so tenaciously, grabs them before they can float away, and resumes swimming onward. Kira joins them in heading to the other side of the river, and the tunnel at its end. Some of the women are starting to choke by the time they reach the end, as the river is very wide. Bella flops out of the water first, and gasps for air. Bridgette pops out second and crawls forward a short distance, then promptly sits down and breathes hard. Kira jumps out third, having passed almost everyone during the second stretch, and inhales very hard, having been in the water the longest. Chez Shay flops out next, and climbs to her feet, panting. Lyla flops out next, and lays there, breathing heavily, blushing and still bottomless. Zan comes out last, carrying Lyla's pants. And Teresa, who exhales, then breathes hard for a few seconds less than everyone else, having had to spend less time actually swimming. Zan just returns to normal breathing. Everyone slowly climbs to their feet.

They promptly turn their attention toward Lyla, and she stands there, very flustered. Chez Shay has a very malicious looking grin, as she teases, "I was wrong about you, too, floaty-pants. I don't think anyone here expected you to be bold enough to not wear anything under those anti-gravity pants!" "VAPORWEAR! HAHAHA!" The Beast clamors.

Lyla is quite embarrassed, but for uncertain reasons, she doesn't use her hands to hide her exposure. She just stands there bashfully, and mumbles, "It... It's hot in Arctaurus... Everyone needs as much ventilation as possible... And I have to admit, this is kind of a frequent thing..."

Zan approaches her, holding out her pants. Chez Shay grunts in frustration and exclaims, "Don't give 'em back! Let her give you some really good eye-candy!"

Bridgette is eyeing Zan suggestively and suspiciously as she comments, "I already know he got plenty when he was swimming behind us in the water..." When they look at her, she lifts her skirt a couple of times, signalling that she is aware of the upskirt views he received.

Chez Shay flinches, then slowly forms a terrifying grin when she realizes this too. She gives Zan a predatory look as she mutters, "...I should have not worn my panties today."

Zan tries to ignore all of this, as he hands Lyla her pants and gently checks on her, "Are you ok, Lyla?"

She accepts her pants, and gives Zan a strongly blushing look, as she replies, "I am... I'm actually less sensitive about my hips being exposed than my breasts... But thank you for retrieving my pants... And thank you for being so kind to me..." She promptly hugs him, causing Teresa, who is still clinging to Zan's back, to form a jealous grimace. Zan keeps his hands away from her bare, shapely backside.

Bridgette stretches, and looks back at the water wall, as she says, "Well that WAS refreshing, but now we're going to have to make the rest of this trip absolutely soaked!"

Bella tugs at her one-hundred percent soaked clothing a little, and comments, "And if what Sasha said is correct, we're about to enter an area that's filled with water, so we're not going to dry up very fast..."

Chez Shay raises her hand as she proclaims, "I vote we strip and run the course nude!"

Kira folds her arms with a roll of her eyes, and disparagingly responds, "Of course you do."

Bella keeps tugging at her clothing, completely unbothered by the idea, as she says, "I would consider that, actually... if I had my Contour Barrier... But as long as we're unprotected, I feel too uncomfortable running around in the buff."

Lyla pulls back from the hug, looking at Zan curiously, and she asks, "What is this 'Contour Barrier' everyone keeps talking about?"

Zan keeps his gentle eyes on her face, as he explains, "We rarely, if EVER, go to other realms without wearing a special device that produces a protective energy barrier that follows the contours of our bodies. The Contour Barrier absorbs all physical and elemental damage, filters air to protect against toxins and diseases, neutralizes environmental hazards like fire and extreme temperatures, and can even be modified to provide optional secondary abilities like holographic disguises and air supplies for travel in the void of space."

Lyla starts putting her pants back on now, but hearing all of this leaves her astounded, and she reacts, "...That... sounds amazing!" Sasha emerges from her shell, looking as though she just took a nap, and looks around lazily.

Chez Shay is also highly intrigued by the idea, and exclaims, "No wonder you guys keep complaining about losing them! They make you invincible!"

Kira mildly waggles her finger as she speaks, "Close, but not entirely. There's only so much they can take. They don't make us invincible completely. For one, they may absorb damage, but they can't absorb the kinetic shock, so we can still get thrown around by particularly powerful hits. Also, they DO have a limited supply of energy, and can be knocked out for a short time if they take too much damage. They recharge on their own, but if one of us takes a constant pounding, the barrier fails."

Bridgette looks down at herself, noticing her transparent top, as she provides her own thoughts, "At any rate, they can be worn even on a bare body, and I think most of us here would be willing to go ahead and take these soaked clothes off to continue on nude while they dry, IF we had our barriers."

Zan looks down the tunnel they have yet to traverse, as he carefully says, "But since we're about to enter an area that might be dirty, and possibly inhabited by hostiles, that would be too dangerous. We have to press on, against these odds..."

Bella makes sure the group's morale does not weaken as she declares, "We gotta get our stuff back, that's what we have to do! Then we'll be back to full power and we will drive NESTS out of my home realm! I think we're that much closer, too, so we can't give up!"

Teresa stays on Zan's back, and thrusts an arm forward over his shoulder down the tunnel as she squeals, "Onward!"

Having been encouraged by Bella, the group reaffirms themselves. Bella's and Bridgette's breasts remain clearly visible through their tops, Teresa's pigtails are sagging from water weight, Chez Shay's dress is clinging to her body, Lyla's pants hang so low that half of her backside is visible from the weight of the soaked-up water, Zan's suit is much darker than normal, and Kira... is the only one who still looks normal, due to wearing a swimsuit by default. Everyone heads up the short tunnel, and Zan shortly notices that Teresa is still on his back. He twists his neck to look back at her, and she gives him a mischievous look. He says, "...How long do you plan on staying there?"

She giggles, "Hee hee hee... I just realized how convenient this spot is." She gives him a cute look, and cutely speaks, "Carry me, master. My feet are tired."

Zan narrows his eyes, trying to resist her exploitation of her cuteness, and responds, "You rode on Lyla's carpet for the latter quarter of that tunnel." She just gives him puppy-dog eyes, and he sighs. The others snicker quietly.

They soon reach a ramp, similar to the one at the beginning of the tunnel, leading up. They climb the ramp, and once they reach the top, they come to a large steel wall, with a big, generic, steel door in the center. Clearly a service door, with a handlebar knob, it isn't even locked. They give it a quick look over, and Bella opens it.

The smell of mildew washes over the group, and they immediately become nervous. Teresa quickly forms a disgusted look, and exclaims, "I thought you said it wasn't a sewer!"

Sasha has a grimace, and feebly responds, "It isn't, but... well..."

Kira, however, seems largely undisturbed, and comments, "An old, underground waterway is bound to develop some mildew problems if it isn't properly maintained. Heck, within just a few days it could get that way. They probably normally have people running upkeep on it, but with the invaders here, they likely can't get their jobs done."

Teresa looks very wary. Bella takes a look through the doorway, and sees waterway passages beyond. She looks at Sasha and says, "Now, Sasha, you said that it was believed the king's tunnel was connected to these culverts. Did you say the culverts were connected to the castle?"

Sasha nods, suddenly confident and cheerful, and replies, "Yes! That much I know for certain! It was already well known that the castle's dungeon was attached to the culvert system by way of a not-so-secret access point."

Bella forms a little grin, and responds, "Then that's what we need to look for. If we can get into the castle's dungeon from the culverts, we will surely be able to get into NESTS' base from there! Let's go!"

The group passes through the door, and enters the Eihemland Culvert System beneath the city. They begin to wander this network of passages, trying to find a route that leads toward the access point to the castle. Built using a gridwork design, the culverts consist largely of interconnected loops of walkways above troughs within which flows rather murky water. Occasionally there is a platform that bridges outer walkways from inner walkways. This area is lit by an old electrical lighting system, compared to the darkness of the abandoned, ancient escape tunnel, so Bella disperses the group's Luminates. At regular intervals, wall-mounted bar ladders can be found that lead up to manholes in the ceiling, and small beams of light shine from their ventilation holes. The sounds of foot and vehicle traffic echo from above, along with the slowly flowing water. One other thing that the group shortly notices, however, is that their path is often blocked off by a closed, metal gridwork gate that blocks both the walkways and the water troughs. These gates are complicating their efforts to navigate the network of passages.

As they wander, they notice a dreadfully familiar whirring noise. Everyone looks around wide-eyed, and shortly spot a Camera Drone heading their way. "Oh no!" Lyla yelps.

Chez Shay immediately barks, "SHOOT IT! SHOOT IT!"

Zan, Bella, Kira and Chez Shay pull out their guns and fire shots at the Camera Drone. Everyone yelps when the Camera Drone snaps a picture with its terribly bright flash. Bella shields her eyes and shrieks, "NO!"

Only afterward does Kira manage to nail the Camera Drone square in the center of its lens, and the small droid falls into the water and explodes. Bridgette grips her forehead in exasperation and groans, "Craaaaap..."

Bella has gone on high alert immediately, and states, "Everyone, we'd best be prepared to start fighting again."

Chez Shay, however, is now in eager anticipation of upcoming conflict, and responds, "You make that sound like it's a BAD thing! I was SO TIRED of just walking and talking! I didn't even get to keep any of that treasure we found!"

Bridgette grits her teeth when she remembers that incident, and growls, "ONLY because you said you were gonna SELL IT."

Zan gives Chez Shay a concerned look, and says, "I thought you said that was ok..."

Chez Shay responds enthusiastically, "I'll truly MEAN that once I get to kick some invader ass!"

Bella warily looks around in the passage they are moving through and mutters, "Well you'll likely get your chance soon... They probably know we're here now."

Kira, however, holds up her FN-P90, and says, "Let them come. I'm ready for them now." She has a big, scary grin. This amuses Chez Shay, and the group presses on, trying to navigate the culverts.

Several more minutes pass, and several more closed gates block their way. The group has had to turn back so many times they are starting to feel lost. Their disorientation is interrupted by irritation when half a dozen Scout Drones turn a corner and charge toward them. Chez Shay belts out an excited laugh, and exclaims, "Alright! Let's get this party started!"

The Scout Drones immediately open fire on the group with their yellow energy bolts. Everyone does their best to dodge the shots within the limited space of the culvert walkways, and they try their hardest to avoid ending up in the dirty water, actually being rather afraid of it. The droids dart about, shooting at them, and everyone returns fire, with Bella's Compression Phaser Rifle, Zan's Pulse Rifle, Kira's FN-P90, Chez Shay's Gunbrella, The Beast's missiles, Lyla's Tambourines, Sasha's bombs, Bridgette's Lighting bolts, and the occasional Tar Blob from Teresa. Zan, Kira and Lyla get shot once each, irritating the former two and causing Lyla to nearly panic. But one by one, the droids are shot down, falling rather quickly under the overwhelming counterfire from the group. Now that everyone has had a chance to take a break from fighting, they are feeling good and strong again in that regard, and battle the enemy valiantly. Within just a few minutes, all of the droids are destroyed. The group takes a moment to catch their breath. Suddenly, Kira lets out a scary laugh, and boisterously proclaims, "It feels SO GOOD to be able to fight back again! I swear, if I find out they've done something to my Ether Blob by the time I get him back, I am going to rip them a new one!"

Bridgette tauntingly remarks, "Aww, so you DO care what happens to your Ether Blob," and forms an amused smirk.

Kira throws a death glare at Bridgette, and snarls, "That is not what I meant and you KNOW it. That Ether Blob is MY creation, and I will NOT have ANYONE tampering with him!"

Bridgette gives Kira an annoyingly cute look and responds, "Uh-huh."

Kira angrily gestures with her free hand as she snaps, "Will you just let me relish this moment?!"

Bella cuts into their tangent, "Let's keep moving before we're attacked again!"

They move onward, still completely lost in the culverts, and still encountering sealed gridwork gates. After being blocked and being forced to turn back too many times, Bella stops before one. When she stops, they do too. She glares at it, and complains, "I'm getting sick of these stupid gates! They're making this overly complicated!"

Bridgette looks around, thinking about the path they've taken, and comments, "...This is the convolution that Sasha was talking about the royalty trying to avoid. This isn't really a big deal for an expert explorer like myself, but I will admit that it is getting on my nerves having to turn back so much."

Bella looks at the group, eventually focusing on Zan, as she states, "Either way, this is not working. Just wandering around like this is getting us nowhere, and just tiring us out. We need to figure out some kind of strategy for dealing with this maze. Zan, have you been building a map of this place as we have been going?"

He looks around too, but is just a little nervous, as he replies, "Yeah, but... This culvert system is ridiculously huge. According to my local scans, it runs under the ENTIRE CITY, and you already know how big the city is..."

Teresa looks around Zan's head at his face, still clinging to his back like a baby animal, and asks, "Have we been doubling back a lot?"

He looks at her, then off to the side, as he answers, "Yes, and no. We've had to double back when blocked by a gate, but we haven't been running in circles. The problem is, everything in this place is so familiar. It reminds me of a much less dangerous version of the sewers beneath Kurast."

Bridgette becomes aghast, and responds, "Oh yikes, at least there aren't giant ancient mummies and tiny exploding skeletons running around..."

Zan rolls his eyes, and acknowledges, "Exactly." He then notices the looks he's getting from Kira, Teresa, Chez Shay and Lyla, who don't get the reference, and says, "...Long story... Anyway, let me scan this gate and see what the deal is with them."

He starts scanning the gate, while everyone else gathers around to discuss the situation. Sasha actually speaks up first, "All I can offer right now is that we need to keep trying to move north and east. The castle is in the northern area of the city, and the great river of Eihemland City is to its west, where we passed through a few minutes ago. If we can just get our bearings, we can find the way to the castle dungeon."

Lyla looks at the gate sadly, and replies, "But that's what almost all of the gates seem to be blocking are passages to the north..."

Kira, also looking at the gate, takes note of the fact that the gate goes down into the water too, and mutters, "We can't even sacrifice a little health by getting in the water to go under the gates, as they block the water passages too."

Teresa is quite appalled by the idea of getting in the water, period, and exclaims, "I would sooner die than get in that nasty water!"

Hearing this, Chez Shay forms a frightening grin, and ominously says, "Are you sure about that?"

Teresa's pigtails bristle, and a bead of sweat quickly forms on her forehead, as she yelps, "M-meep! Master!" and clings to him fearfully.

Zan points at Chez Shay, and firmly speaks, "Leave Teresa alone, please."

Chez Shay rolls her eyes, and dismissively responds, "Just kiiiddiiing..."

The Beast narrows an eye, and says, "YOU WERE?" Chez Shay attacks him yet again.

Zan, having returned to his work, finishes scanning, and after a minute, and a baffled grunt, comments, "...Ok, so... this is weird."

Teresa, having calmed again, inquires, "What is it, master?"

Zan finds everyone looking at him, and proceeds to explain, "These gates are powered by yet ANOTHER mystic-energy-powered security system. A really old one, that is almost entirely automated by some kind of sensor system built into the water troughs of the culvert network. Evidently they're used more for containment of unidentified water creatures, or to prevent exactly what Kira said and block submerged intruders from traveling around down here. The reason why we haven't been completely boxed in is because the age of this system has resulted in a large number of the gates becoming non-functional. I guess we have that much going for us. What I can't tell, however, is what exactly is triggering the gates to shut, if anything is doing so at all."

Teresa falls back on a familiar concept and asks, "Can you just reclaim them to get them out of the way?"

Zan gives her a tentative look and replies, "Sure. If you want to sit around for five hours in this dingy, cramped waterway."

Kira forms an irritated expression and complains, "Why are you so SLOW?" Hearing this quickly annoys the others.

Zan, however, answers before anyone starts to fuss at her, "...Because I don't have my neotech tie. It may look like a simple doodad, but it actually serves an important purpose for accelerating a number of my cybernetic functions. I'm sorry if you find me inadequate, Kira." He gives her a disappointed look.

This results in her flinching, forming an alarmed expression, and with a concerned tone, she reacts, "Erk... I... I didn't mean it like that!"

Bridgette forms a very mischievous and inquisitive look, and starts, "Is that a hint of-" "DO NOT START WITH ME," Kira immediately bellows, anticipating that. A yellow bolt of energy shoots Kira in the shoulder the next second, and she shrieks, "ARGH! I SAID DO **NOT** START!" She immediately turns to spray bullets at the source.

More Scout Drones have arrived, and the group turns to return fire. Teresa barely dodges being shot in the face, ducking behind Zan, with whom she has yet to climb off his back. Chez Shay's shoulder is grazed, Bridgette's arm is shot, and Zan blocks a shot with his Pulse Rifle before the droids are eliminated by the tremendous counterfire. Everyone has a decent ranged attack, and the Scout Drones are just that: scouts. They fall quickly and easily. Bella slowly lowers her gun when the last droid crashes down, looks at her rifle, pleased with it, and comments, "It sure is nice to have come so far like we have."

Bridgette nods, and acknowledges, "Yeah. Now that we're all together and all armed, we can take on anything! I just wonder how we'll be able to handle those Kyo clones if we have to fight them again."

Due to almost everyone sustaining some injuries, Zan releases Cybranites upon the group to heal them, and they thank him for it. However, Lyla, who had taken out a Health Potion, looks at it sadly, and whispers, "...I guess my Health Potions aren't going to be useful afterall..."

Zan detects this quickly, and is equally quick to console her, "Now, now, Lyla... They will make for good emergency healing in a big situation. And even if we don't use them all, we'll keep them as mementos of this event, and they will serve to remind us of what a big help you've been." He gives her a gentle smile. She blushes, smiling cutely, and nods.

Chez Shay and Kira roll their eyes. As the former rolls her eyes, she happens to notice one of the bar ladders rising up to a manhole in the ceiling. She looks directly up at it, and exclaims, "Well there's an option! We could always just go back up to the surface! We'd have more enemies to fight, but at least we have a straight shot at the castle!"

The group gives each other wary looks. Worried about angering her yet again, they turn their attention to Zan, with pensive expressions. He is probably the only one who can tell Chez Shay she's wrong without worry of being attacked. He notices when everyone slowly, and simultaneously, gives him scared looks. He emits a soft grunt, then clears his throat and nods at them. He moves to rest a hand on Chez Shay's shoulder, and carefully replies, "That option is not viable, Chez Shay. Last night was proof that the enemy is just too powerful for us to use a straight-up frontal assault. Even though we ARE all armed and together, we need to maintain the cover of stealth if we're to succeed in infiltrating the castle."

They also know she would probably cause the citizens to riot again, but they do not bring this up. Chez Shay gives him a pouty look, having never noticed the fact that the girls had Zan turn her down, and grumbles in a less-than-serious manner, "Phooey. See if I share any more ideas."

The girls sigh in relief that she didn't lash out. They resume deliberation, only to be interrupted by a long, drawn out and sharp roar echoing from somewhere nearby in the culvert. They flinch, the sound frightening them. However, they then notice that the Alarm Icon has flared in Zan's cybernetic eye, and he is looking in the direction of the roar with a very disturbed expression.

They wait a few seconds. The roar suddenly emits from the distance again, and Zan grits his teeth in a strong frown. He turns and approaches Bella so intensely she actually takes a step back as though she were afraid he was about to strike her. He has become very tense for some reason, and speaks as such, "Bella, do you know what that sound is?"

Bella stares at him wide-eyed, frightened by his sudden intensity, and responds, "N-no..?"

He looks in the direction of the sound with narrowed and intense eyes, as he finishes, "A Dianoga..."

Chez Shay cocks her head to one side, her headband's rabbit-ears tilting that way, and after a curious grunt, she mumbles, "A what-a-noga?"

Bridgette, however, knows exactly what he's talking about, and has become just as alarmed. She exclaims, "You gotta be kidding me!"

Lyla has become nervous again, looks at the others, and whimpers, "Is it scary? It sure sounds scary..."

Zan faces the direction they heard the roar come from, and speaks in a tone of hatred, "Disgusting xenomorphic aquatic creatures originally native to the realm of the Galactic Empire and the Jedi. They are the ULTIMATE sewer vermin. For them to be here..." He turns to look at Bella again, with intense eyes and the Determination Icon in his cybernetic one, and firmly requests, "Bella, we need to take another detour and kill the creature, and if any others are here, them too. We absolutely must not allow them to survive."

Teresa, observing all this behavior from the safety of her piggyback position, comments, "Wow. Master's really upset. He must really hate those things."

Bridgette is showing a similar attitude of revulsion as Zan's, and mutters, "He has every reason to..."

Bella blinks, then stammers, "O-ok, Zan. Let's go." He launches off in the direction of the creature, and the girls flinch, yelp, and take off after him.

Zan comes to a crossways, stops, and listens. The roar echoes from a direction, and he takes off that way. The girls scramble to follow him. Zan swings around a corner, jumps over a trough, and swings around another corner. The girls desperately try to keep up with him. But for Teresa, who is hanging on to his back, and has become excited by the wild ride. She squeals enthusiastically, "I'm gonna have to ride on your back more often, master! This is almost as fun as flying on my GravBoard!"

Zan remains silent, and turns yet another corner. He skids to a stop when he detects the presence of the creature. He looks around slowly. Teresa does too. The other girls round the corner, panting. Kira speaks up first, amidst her breathlessness, "Geez, Zan, do you THINK you could have WAITED for us?!"

"EEEK!" Lyla suddenly shrieks. She just as suddenly points, and cries out, "Is THAT it?!"

They spot a single eye-stalk sticking out of the water like a parascope, looking at them. It darts below the water the next instant, and Zan barks, "Ready your weapons!"

Everyone quickly prepares themselves. Suddenly a number of barbed tentacles lash out of the water at them. The girls shriek, and those with guns open fire immediately, while trying desperately to avoid being struck by the slime-coated tentacles. Lyla ends up cowering behind everyone, while Chez Shay starts laughing. Kira finds herself intrigued, but goes along with everyone to shoot at the creature.

Its tentacles whip about, trying to hit them. Zan hops over one. Bella blocks an attack with her rifle. Kira shoots one before it can hit her. Everyone shoots into the water where the creature seems to be, but its tentacles keep attacking. Bridgette finds herself confused by the fact her Lightning bolts don't seem to be very effective against it. Shortly, its eye-stalk emerges again to take a look and confirm their presence. Zan is quick to yell, "AIM FOR THE EYE!"

Everyone fires at it. The sound of a different Dianoga's roar echoes from another area of the culverts. Zan looks off in that direction through the corners of his narrowed eyes. Teresa looks that way in general, not really able to help fight this creature, and exclaims, "There's ANOTHER one?!"

Zan venomously comments, "They are known to be colony creatures..."

One of The Beast's missiles nails the eye-stalk of the Dianoga they are currently contending with, and it bursts. The Dianoga emits a sickening, squealing wail, and the tentacles go lifeless. They slowly retract back into the water, and a black substance slowly fills that current section of the water. Chez Shay watches with morbid fascination and drones, "Cooool..."

Bridgette, like the normal girls, looks very disgusted, and gags, "Eeeyugh..."

Teresa covers her mouth, and turns her head away as she tries to keep from gagging, and mutters, "I... I think I'm going to be sick..." Zan bolts in the direction of the second Dianoga roar, and she nearly falls off of him with a yelp, "WHOA!"

Kira's eyes widen, and she shouts, "ZAN! DAMMIT!" She takes off chasing after him.

Bridgette, with a grunt, also resumes following Zan, and comments, "When he sets his mind to killing something he hates, you might as well be dealing with a natural disaster."

Bella, too, chases after Zan, and remarks, "I'm just glad this one's on our side."

Bridgette looks at Bella with a grin as they run, and acknowledges, "It was one of the earliest things that attracted me to him was his strength..." Bella also grins.

Chez Shay proceeds to pull out her vacuum cleaner, hop on, and fly after Zan. She exclaims in crooked excitement, "Off we go, the ultimate sewer monster exterminators! HAHAHA!" "EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE!" The Beast exclaims just as excitedly.

Lyla, along with the rest, starts running after Zan, but is very distressed again, and whines, "I want to go hooome..."

Sasha flies along side her, and responds encouragingly, "Come on, Lyla, don't say that! We need to keep helping them, and we've come so far!"

Lyla whimpers, but continues to chase after Zan, who is running along a slightly longer culvert walkway. He finds himself blocked by a gate, but there is a side path with no trough in it. He stops, and listens. He hears another roar, slightly closer, coming from that path. Teresa squeaks, "There!" pointing down that path.

Zan takes off down the path, and the girls desperately follow him, Chez Shay leading, swinging her vacuum cleaner into the side path. Lyla, last to turn into the side path, looks back as she runs, and whines fearfully, "We're gonna be even MORE lost after this!"

Crossing blood vessels bulge on Kira's forehead from aggravation, and she snarls, "Please, please, PLEASE stop whining!" Lyla whimpers fearfully in reaction.

Zan comes out of the side path, and finds himself standing before a very large pool of old water. He peers out at the pool, and sees an eye-stalk pop up from it, near its center, look around, then submerge. He observes the water's surface for a moment, and when Teresa emits a noise of curiosity, he comments, "Their eyesight is somewhat limited... It probably didn't see us."

Two more eye-stalks pop up in two different spots, causing Teresa and Zan to flinch. She exclaims in horror, "There's... THREE of them?!"

Zan clicks his tongue in irritation. The other girls arrive, and look out over the pool. They find themselves quite repulsed by it, and Bella cautiously remarks, "...Looks like this was once a cesspool."

Sasha interjects, "But it's not a sewer system anymore, so it's just a regular pool."

Lyla is extremely wary, and adds, "...A really murky, dirty, smelly one..."

They spot the eye-stalks come up, closer than before, drawn by the sound of their voices, looking in their direction. The Dianogas see them, and raise their tentacles to flail in the air as they glide in the water toward the group. Everyone readies to fight them. Bridgette builds up Voltage in her hands, and comments, "It's a good thing we all have ranged weapons. I would rather roll around in mud than get in that water!"

Teresa clings firmly to Zan and responds, "I wouldn't even want to get near those creatures!"

Bridgette gives Zan an angry look, and shouts, "Zan, I absolutely forbid you to get in that water!" The girls blink.

Zan flinches, and gives Bridgette a strange look from over his shoulder. After a second, he acknowledges with that weird drawl, "...Yes mayum."

She smirks. Then she yelps and points, and Zan springs upward to avoid a swipe from a tentacle. The three Dianogas reach the edge of the pool, and start flailing and swiping their tentacles at the group. Chez Shay and The Beast fly out over the pool to shoot at them from behind. Kira fires at one of the Dianogas, and ducks to avoid a swinging tentacle. Zan fires his Pulse Rifle at where one of the creatures should be in the water, while Teresa starts to focus her power. Bella fires her Compression Phaser Rifle in streaming fire mode, and yelps when one of the tentacles smacks her in the leg, nearly knocking her down. Bridgette lashes out Lightning bolts, but once again finds them to be seemingly ineffective. She tries Charged Bolts, only to get the same effect. She scowls, and fusses, "Why isn't my Voltage working?!"

Kira, eyes narrowed in irritation, shouts, "The water is full of silt! It's neutralizing your electric abilities!"

Bridgette just growls, "Grr..." and Zan exclaims, "Bridgette! Try attacking the tentacles instead!"

She blinks, then nods, and fires a Lightning bolt at a tentacle about to strike her. The Voltage surges down the tentacle, and a painful yowl from the Dianoga that owns it is heard. Bridgette smirks, and starts zapping the tentacles. Especially those that are about to attack her friends. As for Lyla, she is even more scared now, and stays out of the fight. Sasha approaches her, gives her a sad little look, and whispers, "Lyla..."

Lyla, shivering, struggling with her cowardice, whimpers, "I'm too scared... Those things are too terrifying... More aliens in our world..."

Sasha consoles her, "That's what our friends came here for, Lyla... To drive the aliens out... And our friends could use your help..."

Lyla shakes her head fretfully and exclaims, "I'm no hero!"

Sasha gently speaks, "But you've already helped us so much! Come on, Lyla... We can win this, just like we did the others, and you won't come to any lasting harm... Use one of your Skill Cards!"

Lyla gives her little turtle companion a soft gaze, then nods, and looks through her Skill Cards. She selects one that depicts a large crescent-shaped energy blast: the Wave Card. She activates it, and takes out her Tambourines. She moves closer to the Dianogas, and yelps when one of them nearly strikes Kira, only for the tentacle to be zapped by Bridgette and retract away, where it is subsequently shot by Kira in retaliation. Lyla gets close enough to see the water, and starts to shake her Tambourines. Instead of a wide volley of wood-like shots, she releases big waves of light green energy that penetrate the water surface. One of the Dianogas starts to shriek in pain. Zan immediately takes note, becomes excited, and exclaims, "...Way to go, Lyla! Keep firing right there!"

Lyla nods, and keeps firing. Chez Shay and The Beast spray their shots all around in the water, and upon striking one section, one of the Dianogas shrieks in pain. Chez Shay and The Beast grin and focus their shots there, but seemingly fail to hit anything now. Everyone else continues to fire either into the water or at the tentacles to prevent them from using their attacks, though they are having difficulty keeping them all at bay. One particular tentacle snaps forth and strikes Zan out of no where, and he yelps, alarming the others. Teresa squeals the next second, thrusting a hand out in the pool's direction, and a series of yellow runes briefly appear in the air over the water. Nothing seems to happen at first, but then everyone notices that the tentacles appear to have become very feeble. One of them manages to hit Bridgette from behind, and she blinks when it doesn't even hurt. She zaps the tentacle away, then looks at Teresa and asks, "What was that? What did you do to them?"

Teresa is all proud of herself again as she confidently explains, "I used Weaken! I'm getting so good at this, I can only imagine how good I'll be with my scepter!"

Kira is quick to reign her in, however, as she responds, "You'll probably just be able to use these skills you've already used quickly again. These are just the skills you already have. It's not like you'll suddenly have learned some new tricks."

Teresa becomes annoyed, and exclaims, "What about when I used Cripple?! A-and when I was able to teleport all of us through the Tar Pit?!"

Kira gives her a disapproving look, and keeps going, "You admitted to the fact that was a fluke! On top of that, it takes you forever to charge up enough power to use ANY of your skills!"

Teresa looks away, frustrated, and mutters, "Still..."

Zan speaks up to stop the discouraging banter, "That was good, Teresa. Everyone is doing good! Keep attacking!"

The group keeps the storm of projectiles up, while now being able to fend off the tentacles much easier thanks to Teresa's Weakening of them. It doesn't take long before one of the Dianogas, where Lyla was firing, lets out its death shriek, and its tentacles collapse and retract into the water. The other two Dianogas peek out of the water to find out what's happening. One promptly gets shot by Zan and shrieks. It tries to hit him back, but it's feeling so infirm that it can barely manage more than a soft whip, and Zan smashes his Pulse Rifle down on the tentacle in response. Then Bridgette zaps its exposed eye, and Bella fires some burst shots from her rifle at it. The creature is killed. The last one begins to panic, and turns to flee. Zan shakes his fist as he shouts, "Do NOT let it get away!" He readies to jump after it, alarming Teresa and Bridgette.

"What did I say about getting in the water!" Bridgette quickly blurts to stop Zan.

He grunts in frustration, stopping, and responds, "I KNOW, but..."

Chez Shay suddenly hollers, "I GOT THIS! DIE DIE DIE!" She wildly sprays bullets into the water, and The Beast flings his missiles while yowling.

Lyla also fires her Wave shots at where the creature may be. All of these shots succeed in hitting it, and it shrieks in pain, then shrieks wildly, and goes silent. Blackness forms where it was in the water, and the chamber goes quiet again.

The silence is momentarily broken, when the girls cheer. Zan sighs, and flinches when Bridgette grabs him and pulls him away from the walkway edge. She shakes her head sadly, and Zan tilts his head with a soft smile.

Lyla slowly lowers her Tambourines, and exhales hard, feeling quite relieved. She mutters, "Thank goodness... I am so glad we were able to-" Another Dianoga roar echoes from the distance, interrupting their celebration.

Lyla yelps, Bella tilts her head back with a groan, Kira facepalms. Zan's eyes widen with a powerful scowl, and takes off running along the long, curved walkway around the big pool in the direction of the sound. The girls, muttering angrily, follow after as well. Chez Shay is the only one not annoyed, but rather is quite enthusiastic, and flies in that direction as well, which came from another access point to this large pool chamber. The group reaches this point and heads along the passage. It leads them along a short but winding path, and the moment they come out of the passage, back into a culvert tunnel, they again hear the roar of the Dianoga, and it is quite loud, yet they still haven't reached it. What they have reached, however is an ambush. Blocking their path in both directions, are a dozen Shield Drones. Zan skids to a stop when he sees them. Teresa looks around at the droids frantically, and yelps, "Oh NO! Did we walk into a trap?!"

Zan glowers at them, immediately in a defensive posture, and responds, "...No, there is definitely another Dianoga nearby. These droids are just taking advantage of it."

With a grunt, Zan jumps to the side, nearly falling into the culvert trough, to avoid a series of shots from the droids. The girls hear the shots and become cautious. Except for Chez Shay, who darts out into the scene quicker and starts shooting without even looking first. Her bullets, and The Beast's missiles, are blocked by the energy shields of the droids, and Chez Shay glowers. When Bella emerges with the group, she gasps. "Shield Drones?! And none of us are behind them!" she exclaims.

Zan gestures for Chez Shay to stop shooting, as he shouts, "We can't just shoot blindly at these things! It's going to take tactics to fight them!"

Staying together, the group dodges, blocks, and gets hit by a few shots from the droids as they try to fight back. Their initial attacks against the droids fail to work, as they block everything, and because they are being attacked from both directions, their attention gets split. They do, however, have cover to fall back to with the passage they exited from, and they do whenever the fire gets too heavy for them. Only Chez Shay, The Beast and Sasha stay out in the open, Chez Shay on her vacuum cleaner, shooting madly at the droids, who completely block her attacks, which is only making her angry. Sasha's bombs are being blocked too, but their force is so strong that the droids wobble slightly in the air from the sheer force of the bursts. After several seconds of the firefight, Zan takes cover to avoid concentrated fire on him, and pants. He looks back at Teresa, still clinging to him, and says, "Teresa... Focus your power to try to use Bone Spears. They penetrate armor, as well as shields."

Teresa nods with enthusiasm, and responds, "Yes master!" She starts to focus for power.

Bella ducks into the passage to avoid a barrage of shots, and angrily complains, "This isn't working!"

Zan speaks up, "Bella, try to get your Cat Bullets to pass between the droids, so that its recursive shots can hit them from behind."

Bella gives him a surprised look, but gets the idea, and acknowledges, "...Got it!" She gets prone and waits for an opportunity to rejoin the fight.

Bridgette scrambles to hide in the tunnel, and gets shot in the leg as she does. Zan promptly sends Cybranites to heal the injury. Lyla ducks back in to the tunnel as well and whimpers. A furious yell from Chez Shay frightens her. Zan takes note of Lyla's fearful frustration, and inquires, "Lyla, do any of your Skill Cards provide the user with an attack that pierces through targets or armor?"

Lyla, shivering, mumbles, "U-um..." and takes out her cards. She fumbles through them a little, but shortly finds one that depicts a spear: the fittingly named Spear Card. She looks it over, then remembers how it works, and looks at Zan with nervous eyes as she acknowledges, "O-oh yes! Spear!"

Teresa blinks, giving her an amused look, and responds, "'Spear'? How appropriate."

Zan points at the card, then at Chez Shay, as he instructs, "Use that card on Chez Shay, and we should be good to go."

Kira, waiting for some sort of opening, becomes frustrated when Zan says nothing to her, and shouts, "Hey! What about me?!"

Zan gives her a soft look, and replies as gently as he can, "Please sit this one out... You too, Bridgette."

Bridgette immediately flops into a sitting position, and looks at her still soaked and transparent top. She watches Zan's Cybranites do their job, and responds, "Fine by me. Those things were annoying enough when we went to the Space Pirate homeworld."

Kira also sits, and grumbles. Zan stands up, looking strong and determined. He looks back at Teresa and says, "Teresa, I will provide you with cover and mobility. Try your hardest to shoot the enemies." She nods, and he continues, directing his words toward everyone, "We'll take the ones behind Chez Shay. And I have an idea. When we fight them, let's try to keep one of them from being completely destroyed. I may be able to make some use of it." Teresa and Bella nod. He turns to exclaim, "Chez Shay! Lyla's about to use a Skill Card on you that gives you the Spear ability!"

Chez Shay, spraying bullets, in a rage, bellows, "FINE! WHATEVER! I HATE THESE FREAKIN' CHEATERS!" She gets shot, and snarls, "ARGH!"

Lyla uses the card, and stays in the side path. Chez Shay's bullets become replaced by long, white bolts of energy. They fire much more slowly, but fly much faster. Right off the first shot, it punches clean through one of the Shield Drones, energy shield and all, and the drone wobbles and sparks. They continue to fire at Chez Shay, who darts about, trying to avoid being hit. Zan, Teresa and Bella emerge from the side path and Teresa, who already had been focusing her energy, thrusts a hand forward and launches a Bone Spear. It flies out and pierces through one of the droids, damaging it the same as Chez Shay's Spear shots. Bella launches her signature big cat-paw-shaped projectile that releases recursive, claw-shaped projectiles at all nearby targets, known as a Cat Bullet. It starts firing its recursive shots at the droids. They are blocked by the shields, but the Cat Bullet makes its way forward, and begins passing between the droids. To Zan's surprise, half of them turn their shields to keep them aimed at the Cat Bullet and block its recursive shots. Teresa stares, then busts out laughing, and Bella and Zan immediately take advantage of this miscalculation to shoot the exposed surfaces of the droids, damaging them and destroying one. Zan then laughingly exclaims, "I did NOT expect them to do THAT!" "STUUUPIIID!" Teresa taunts toward the droids.

Bridgette, Kira and Lyla become curious at what could have amused them so, and peer out of the passage. On seeing the droids trying to protect themselves from the Cat Bullet and exposing their vulnerability in the process, their eyes widen, and the former two jump out into the fray to help destroy the droids. Bella casts another Cat Bullet toward the droids that Chez Shay, The Beast and Sasha are facing alone, and some of them, too, turn their shields to protect against it, exposing vulnerable surfaces. Chez Shay's mood improves dramatically, and she fires more Spear shots, destroying one of the droids. Sasha's bombs severely damage the droids that are exposing themselves. Kira, joining Chez Shay, fires her bullets with a snarl, at the exposed surface of a second droid before her, and it crashes to the ground and explodes.

"Remember, I want to capture one of these droids!" Zan reminds everyone, and Bella acknowledges with a confident grunt. She launches another Cat Bullet toward the droids behind the group, and they repeat their mistake, apparently due to limited programming. She shifts her Compression Phaser Rifle to stream mode on a lower setting, and shoots the exposed surfaces of the droids. Bridgette flings a Fireball instead of Lightning bolts, and the blast it makes rocks the droids and damages several of them. The Cat Bullet's recursive shots also damage the droids that kept their shields facing the group. All the while, everyone continues to dodge, block, and be hit by bolts from the droids.

Bella nails one of the droids with her rifle, it crashes to the floor, and starts to wiggle a little. She releases another Cat Bullet toward the droids Chez Shay and Kira are facing, and at the same time, Chez Shay destroys one of the droids with a Spear shot. The roar of the Dianoga somewhere down the tunnel echoes through amidst the weapons fire. Teresa flings a Bone Spear at a droid that Bridgette had damaged with a Fireball, and nearly gets shot by one of the droids before Zan turns his whole self to dodge it, saving her from the pain. The droid flies apart from the shot. Kira laughs loudly as one of the droids, already damaged by Sasha's bombs, crashes to the ground from her shots and explodes.

Suddenly all of the droids congregate into one spot over the culvert trough, exposing Lyla's hiding spot in the side path. Seeing them frightens her, but she also notices how few of them there are, and realizes that the blasts were the droids being destroyed. This raises her confidence a little, so she gets up, and starts shooting at them, the Wave ability still active. Her waves are absorbed by their shields though. Bella points at them with her secondary hand and shouts, "They've changed tactics again! I know what to do though! Bridgette, Chez Shay and I will get to the opposite side walkway to shoot at them from behind!"

Zan nods and responds, "Good! Just like before!"

Bella and Bridgette leap across the trough, just barely making it, and Chez Shay flies around behind the droids. Half of them keep their shields focused on them, just as Bella had anticipated. They all continue to shoot at the group, but they are now severely outnumbered. Sasha has the interesting idea of moving to be parallel to the droids over the water trough, and hits them in the side with her bombs, adding to their already significant damage. Chez Shay and Teresa both fire Spear-type shots at the droids facing them, damaging them further. Bridgette flings a Chain Lighting bolt, and it bounces around to damage all five of the remaining droids, and one of them bursts from the blast. The four remaining ones do not last long afterward, but do manage to shoot Zan and Bella before they are destroyed. The Beast destroys one with a missile. Kira rips one apart with a barrage of bullets. Zan destroys one with his Pulse Rifle. And the last one tries to flee, moving backwards so that its shield is facing them, but is shot through by a Bone Spear from Teresa and a Spear shot from Chez Shay, and is destroyed. The girls cheer yet again. Lyla stays quiet, however, and whispers, "...You were right, Sasha. We can win... I need to be braver..."

Sasha hears this anyway, floats close, and says with a kind smile, "What you need, is to trust your friends."

Lyla slowly nods, trying to muster up courage, and acknowledges, "Yes, you're right. I will not hide anymore. I promise."

Kira gives her a sour look as she says, "Good, because I was starting to consider dragging you out into the fight. You need to have confidence in us! Especially Zan and I!"

Bella gives Kira a mischievous little look as she teases, "Did you just put Zan before yourself?"

Kira facepalms, then exclaims, "Do you HAVE to nitpick EVERYTHING I say?!"

Zan, meanwhile, immediately walks over to the disabled droid. It wiggles a little, and emits a strange mechanical squeak when Zan picks it up. As he holds it, and it wiggles and churns, Teresa observes it, and forms a soft look. She comments, "For a robot, they're kinda cute, when they're not trying to kill you."

Zan shoves the droid into his personal pocket dimension, then darts off after the Dianoga, causing Teresa to yelp. Chez Shay yells, "TALLY-HO!" and chases after Zan.

Bridgette flinches, reacts, "Gah!" and bolts after Zan. "Could you at LEAST let us rest a sec?!" she calls after him.

The rest of the girls follow after Zan as he speeds through several culvert passages and nearly crashes into a closed gate. He swings around a corner, and enters a chamber of the culverts that is a square-shaped room with several drainpipes dumping water into a large pool. The walkways do not cross all around this chamber, but rather only hug the wall on the side of the entry to the room. A very loud roar echoes from this chamber, and the group stops. Teresa has immediately become alarmed, her pigtails bristling slightly, and she mumbles fearfully, "...That was really, really loud..."

Sasha looks around nervously, and mutters, "I have a bad feeling about this."

Lyla, whimpering, shivering, whines, "Of all the times for me to say I was gonna be brave..." She shortly detects that her Wave Skill Card has worn off, and squeaks, "Meep..."

A very large eye-stalk emerges from the water, and flinches when it sees the group. Kira stares at it, as it stares at the group in what is clearly surprise. She slowly comments, "...Let me guess: an Alpha male or something."

Zan gives her a peculiar look, then directs that look at the eye-stalk as he replies, "I... don't think the Dianogas have genders. So just Alpha Dianoga would suffice." He readies himself.

The eye-stalk looks at the group angrily, then retracts into the water, and huge tentacles emerge around it, several of them bearing spiked balls on their tips. The girls stare in horror. Zan takes note of this threat display, and looks at the women. He quickly grows concerned for their well-being, aware that they could sustain fatal injuries from this particular creature. "This is dangerous..." he mutters. Then he speaks up in instruction, "...Bella, Bridgette, Kira, Lyla, stay in the passage entering this chamber and shoot at it from there! Just aim for its tentacles! Chez Shay, Beast, Sasha, stay in the air in the chamber itself away from us. We need to spread out as much as possible. Do NOT let those spikes impale you!"

Chez Shay bellows, pointing her Gunbrella at the monster, "You're going down you big, ugly freak-o-nature!" She flies to one of the corners of the room and starts shooting at the tentacles.

Sasha forms a grin as she exclaims, "Let's see if you can even hit me!" She flies to a different corner and starts releasing bombs.

Lyla very quickly ducks back into the access passage, but is giving Sasha a strange look, and comments, "...Sasha has been acting awfully... courageous... since we first started on this."

Bella just dismissively replies, "She probably believes in safety of numbers."

Bridgette starts flinging Lightning bolts at the tentacles. Bella shoots burst shots from her Compression Phaser Rifle. Kira sprays bullets. Lyla sprays her Tambourines' shots. They pour into the room and hit the tentacles. Zan stays in the chamber, and jumps sideways to avoid a tentacle smashing down at him. Teresa clings firmly to him from behind, watching him dodge, and finding herself very impressed. She starts focusing her power, and as she does, quietly comments more or less directly into Zan's ear, "I never thought I'd be doing stuff like this with you, master. I first thought moving to the Estate just meant I was going to live the rest of my life in a vacation."

Zan, firing his Pulse Rifle at the enemy, blinks when she says this, then jumps again to avoid a tentacle swinging out at him. He keeps his focus on battling the monster as he replies, "Seriously? The Amethytus Estate may be a sanctuary, but we still have a mission to fulfill."

Teresa rests the side of her head on his shoulder as she quietly says, "Either way, it's still a better life than what I had before. At least everyone cares about me now..." Zan looks to the side in her general direction, his heart warmed a little by her words, and he responds, "Hmm..."

One of the tentacles suddenly flies apart from concentrated fire by Chez Shay, The Beast, Sasha, and a lucky shot from Bella. The Alpha Dianoga shrieks in pain, and its eye-stalk emerges from the water to find out what happened. Everyone immediately focuses their fire on it, including a Bone Spear from Teresa, and the creature wails in agony. It quickly retracts its eye-stalk, and swings its tentacles even harder. It narrowly misses sending Chez Shay flying, and she laughs in reaction. The Beast blasts that tentacle the next second with his missiles, wounding it. Sasha continues to release bombs, that explode on contact with the tentacles. A Chain Lightning bolt from Bridgette roars in and hits a tentacle, arcing off of it to hit the others while also harming the creature itself. Zan jumps onto a tentacle to avoid a swipe from it, shoots it with his Pulse Rifle, then leaps off as it pulls back to shake him off. He lands on the very edge of the walkway and staggers, causing Teresa to yelp. Zan manages to swing around before the two fall into the water, then performs a flip to avoid another swipe from a huge tentacle. Teresa squeals the entire time. The tentacles are becoming more and more torn up by the weapons fire from everyone, and are bleeding a black bile. The Alpha Dianoga emits a roar, and its eye-stalk emerges from the water, closed. When it opens, it is glowing white. It suddenly fires forth a shot that is too similar to the Spear Skill Card, and it flies over Bridgette's shoulder, clipping her ear tip, and making her eyes shrink in terror. Chez Shay's eyes widen, and she shouts, "What the HELL?!"

Zan has stopped moving as he stares at this, while giving Bridgette a very frightened look, and mutters, "...That was abnormal."

Kira, shocked and appalled, exclaims, "How the heck did it do THAT?!"

The Beast flails his limbs wildly, then creates numerous missiles, and roars, "KILL IT! KILL IT NOW!"

The eye-stalk prepares another shot, and everyone concentrates their fire on it. Teresa flings a Tar Blob that coats the eye, and it fires a second shot the next instant, but because it can't see, it ends up shooting one of its own tentacles, and yowls. Teresa, Chez Shay and Kira bust out laughing. Zan, teeth gritted, fires his Pulse Rifle madly, The Beast and Sasha pelt it with ballistic projectiles, and Bridgette, now very angry at being nearly shot to death, blasts it with a large orb of electricity. These attacks ignite Teresa's tar on the eye stalk, and the creature starts to shriek. It tries to retract its eye-stalk, but the fire remains, and spreads into the Dianoga's submerged body. The creature roars wildly as its internals ignite. Then the water of the pool starts to bubble and steam. The Alarm Icon takes over Zan's cybernetic eye after a moment when he realizes what's about to happen. "Everyone, out of the chamber, now!" he bellows. He turns and dashes out, Teresa clinging and shrieking urgently.

Chez Shay, The Beast and Sasha flee the chamber, and everyone races down the culvert. A loud, watery blast and a pained death scream from the Dianoga emits from the room, and the rushing of water is heard. The girls panic. Zan scrambles up a bar ladder, and Bridgette jumps up to cling to him, nearly knocking Teresa off in the process. Lyla throws out her carpet and jumps on. Kira and Bella leap on afterward, and she flies up to the ceiling of the culvert. Chez Shay stays near the ceiling as well, with The Beast close to her, while Sasha stays close to Lyla. Below them, a big wave of the dirty water of the culvert, now also filled with the black sludge of the Dianoga, roars by, down the passage. The next moment, things go calm.

Everyone sighs, and waits, half expecting to hear another Dianoga, or be attacked by droids. What does happen, however, is unexpected. They hear the sound of energy locks disengaging all throughout the culvert system. The sounds of gates opening shortly follows. The sounds last several seconds, and everyone stares at each other in confusion, which shortly turns to delight. Realizing what has probably happened, Chez Shay cheers, "HAA HAA HAA! BOOYAH!"

Bella, looking around in excited delight, shouts, "Was that what I think it was?!"

Zan has a hand resting on his cybernetic temple while he hangs on to the bar ladder with his other. A smile forms on his face as he replies, "...If what you're thinking is the same as what my local scans are indicating, then yes. Those Dianogas, being foreign and unidentified creatures, must have been what was triggering the security system of the culverts. Killing all of them removed the detected threat and disengaged the still functioning gates in the system."

Bridgette, awed by the fact such a thing could even exist in a rather primitive region, mumbles, "Such sophistication..."

Kira tries to disguise her impression, and adds, "I have to concur, for once."

Bridgette exclaims enthusiastically, "The ancient Eihemlanders were so far ahead of their time! This is making this whole trip worthwhile to me!"

Bella beams, knowing that said ancient Eihemlanders were her ancestors, and declares, "These are MY ancestors we're talking about! Of course they would be technological geniuses!"

Some of the girls chuckle. Zan looks down, and sees that most of the walkway in the culvert passage below him is covered in black sludge. Bridgette notices this, gives him a firm look, her face quite close to his, and says, "You are so not gonna walk in that."

Zan gives her a half-smile, and acknowledges, "I hear that. Lyla?"

Chez Shay becomes jealous that Lyla gets all of the transportation duties, and fusses, "HEY! What about me?!"

Zan gives her a wary look, which Bridgette and Teresa share. His eyes shift between her vacuum cleaner and Lyla's carpet, as he replies, "...Lyla's carpet is more spacious." "MEH!" Chez Shay is quick to respond.

Lyla moves her carpet close, and Zan hops onto it. Bridgette and Teresa climb off. Zan gives Teresa an amused look, touches the side of her face to cause her to blush, and he comments, "Looks like my piggyback buddy has decided to start using her own two feet again."

Teresa's blush strengthens, she starts looking flustered, and with eyes averted, complains, "Stop treating me like I'm a baby."

Zan, with a heartful smile, responds, "But you are! My little Tarbaby..." He gently takes hold of her face with both hands to give her a loving look.

She blushes still more, but develops a loving look of her own, and Chez Shay cracks up, nearly falling to the ground. The others are quite amused too, and Bridgette, hearing that strange little nickname, normally used derisively by the Entourage women, inquires, "Are you actually gonna adopt that nickname or something?"

Zan looks at the others, then back at the cutely-blushing Teresa, replies, "I just might..."

He sits down on Lyla's carpet, and she hovers in the air. Everyone else, including Chez Shay, gathers around as Zan takes out the disabled droid he grabbed. It wiggles a little again. Zan starts scanning it, while the others wait and rest. Chez Shay sneaks up and pokes one of Teresa's pigtails. She swats at her, and starts flailing at her when she does it again. Chez Shay laughs and tries to keep harassing Teresa until Bridgette zaps Chez Shay's hand with a light bolt of Voltage. She lets out a gasp, grips her zapped hand, and threateningly speaks, "Did you just shock me?"

Bridgette keeps her finger pointed at Chez Shay, the tip sparking still, and she responds, "You are freakishly annoying. STOP it."

Teresa, clinging to Zan now, adds, "Yeah! Stop poking me!"

Chez Shay smirks, and says, "Poke," as she tries to poke Teresa, only for her hand to be slapped by Zan. She yelps, and gives him sad eyes. He gives her an annoyed look, and warns, "Seriously. Cut it out." Teresa grins, and gives Chez Shay a mean look.

She sits back, folding her arms in a huff. Zan resumes scanning the droid, and is able to pull out a complete map of the culvert system. After checking it out, he nods with confidence, and says, "Alright, this will work well. Can we just ride on your carpet now, Lyla?"

She nods, smiling pleasantly, and replies, "Sure! I feel more comfortable like this anyway."

Zan nods, and puts away the still partially-functioning droid. Everyone moves into the positions on Lyla's carpet that they had taken when they made their attempt to reach the castle the previous night: with Lyla in the center, Zan has his back to her, Teresa plants herself on his lap, Bridgette sits to Lyla's left, Kira to her right, and Bella sits in front.

Serving as navigator, Zan directs Lyla, and she flies off down the culvert, with Chez Shay right beside her. The flight space is somewhat cramped, and they have to stop to make turns whenever they need to, but shortly they notice that every single path is wide open now, with not a gate in sight. Bella grows very excited as they travel, and eventually exclaims enthusiastically, "Just you wait, NESTS! We're coming for our stuff! We're gonna defeat you!"

As if on cue, a Camera Drone shows up. Everyone immediately starts shooting at it, but they always have a difficult time due to its minuscule size. It once again manages to take a picture of them with its blinding flash before it gets shot down by Chez Shay. The group flies onward through the tunnels, going by Zan's directions. They are shot at from behind by a bunch of Scout Drones that fly around a corner to pursue them. Lyla and Chez Shay continue to fly forward, while everyone else shoots at the droids. The enemy fire becomes heavy, but Sasha dashes behind the group, and, retreating into her shell, creates her projectile-catching field. While Bella's group's shots fly through this field normally, the enemy shots are slowed to a crawl the moment they enter it. One by one, the Scout Drones are destroyed, their delayed shots disappearing the moment they do, but another Camera Drone finds the group as they pass through an intersection. It snaps a picture, but gets shot by Bella, and a missile from The Beast destroys the last of the Scout Drones. The Camera Drone takes another picture before it is destroyed, and the group rounds a corner, to find themselves facing another group of Scout Drones. Lyla keeps flying, and the droids crowd around the group, who shoot at every one of them. Sasha releases bombs, and Lyla starts spraying shots from her Tambourines to damage all of the droids. Bridgette launches Charged Bolts all around to hassle the droids and cause them to malfunction. Teresa flings a Tar Blob to gunk up one of the droids. She resumes focusing, but has also noticed something, and feels compelled to comment on it, "All the time we've been down here, we've fought plenty of robots, but I haven't seen a single Kyo clone!"

Kira crimps the corner of her mouth, spraying bullets from her FN-P90, and responds, "Hmph. They probably think too highly of themselves to concede to dirty work like guarding an old, disused, underground waterway."

This makes both Zan and Bridgette think of something simultaneously, and they give each other very amused looks. "SEWER PATROL!" they both exclaim in a strangely silly manner. While Bridgette laughs, Zan says, "I wonder if we'll encounter Coconuts down here?"

Only he, Bridgette and Bella understand this, and Bella snickers. Teresa, Kira, Chez Shay, The Beast, Lyla and Sasha are thoroughly confused, but assume it just has something to do with one of Zan's past missions. The continue to fend off the droids, and eventually destroy all of them.

Finally, things go quiet. They never stopped flying through the tunnels, and after rounding a few corners, Zan speaks up, "We're near to the northern-most area of the culverts now. Let's land at the end of this passage."

Lyla nods, and flies to the end of the culvert passage they are in. They exit into a very long corridor with a trough up against its southern wall, while the walkway is twice as wide as the normal ones. Lyla sets her carpet down a few inches above the ground, and everyone steps off. They check themselves and their gear, and Lyla puts her carpet away. Chez Shay lands as well, and puts away her vacuum cleaner. Zan immediately approaches Bridgette, and touches her pointed, half-elf ear. She looks at him curiously, and he gently inquires, "How is your ear, Bridgette?"

She reaches to touch it herself, and answers, "It's fine. Your Cybranites fixed it in the middle of the fight."

Zan gives her a soft look, gently rubs her ear between his thumb and fingers, and replies, "Good. I'm glad. It would have been much worse if that shot had actually connected..."

Bridgette likes how the ear-rub feels, but the thought is also rather disturbing, and she mutters, "I'd rather not think about that."

Chez Shay takes note of the fact that Zan is affectionately touching Bridgette's ear, which is half the length of a normal elf's. She grins, and with a teasing tone, asks, "Fond of pointy ears, huh?"

Zan gives her a sincere look, and releases Bridgette's ear. "Sure," he simply replies.

Kira folds her arms, with a wry smirk, and comments, "One thing I quickly learned when I joined the Entourage was Zan's eclectic tastes..."

Chez Shay's amused expression turns creepy as she inquires, "Does he like psychos?" She spreads a psychotic grin across her face.

No one answers. They just give her a worried look, then turn to walk up the corridor to its center, where they can see an intersection with a northward passage. Once they reach this intersection, they are greeted by the sight of a messy little hovel that is clearly the residence of a homeless person. Beyond the sprawling collection of debris is another steel wall with a door like the one they passed through to enter the culverts. But before they can move toward it, they flinch in fright when a raggedy man bursts from a pile of debris and climbs to his feet between them and the gate. He points with wild exaggeration and propounds, "NONE MAY PASS the Culvert Toll Man!"

They just stare at him, and get a good look at the man. Wearing rags, he has an old, rotten pumpkin on which a face has been carved atop his head, he sports pointy ears that don't completely match his skin color, and he is surprisingly clean-faced for a homeless person, albeit still thoroughly flea-ridden and unclean. Teresa recoils in disgust, and exclaims, "Oh gross! What is that thing?!"

The man, speaking in a very unstable voice that regularly emphasizes random words, expounds, "This THIIING?! Why, young lady, this THING was a gift from the Pumpkin Sisters to ME! I am their beloved fourth-cousin twice-removed, and I run the Culvert Toll Gate! I am Achern, the Pumpkin Cousin!"

Teresa puts her arms akimbo, giving him a repulsed look, and mutters, "I was referring to you yourself... I take it that smell is coming from you?"

Lyla, rather nervous now, gives Achern a wary look, and whispers, "Is... is this guy a troll?"

Kira has clamped her nose shut between her fingers, and responds, "More like, is this guy for real?"

Bella is also very repulsed by the crazy person, and shouts, "The Pumpkin Sisters HAVE no relatives you kook!"

Zan, as usual for him, maintains his composure despite the offensive sensory input, and gently says, "We need to get through, please."

Achern swipes a hand to the side, casting off a few fleas, as he disseminates, "I saaaiiid... NONE MAY PASS the Culvert Toll Man! Without PAYING, of course!" He gives them a dark look and, with an overly dramatic action that scatters skin flakes, reveals from his sleeves some Skill Cards. He continues in an ominously loopy tone, "Should you refuse... You shall suffer grand JUDGEMENT from which you shall never recover!"

The girls frown. Lyla, intimidated, gets a good look at the cards though, and notices that they have already been used up. Everyone else can sense that this guy has no real power. Nevertheless, he enunciates, "PAY UP! Or ELSE!" He threateningly waves the cards around, and a cockroach or three fall out of his clothes from the gestures.

Bella is incensed by his threats, and exclaims, "You clearly don't know who we are! Who I am! I am Bella Chimes! And-" "AH-HAA!" Achern barks, and a rat peeks out of an eye socket in his head pumpkin to find out what the racket's all about. He broadcasts, "A Trouble Witch! So you've come to form your own team of havok-wreakers and take over my culverts, have you?! NEVAR!" He shakes his cards at them still more, and fleas fly off in every direction.

Teresa pulls back to avoid the fleas, and exclaims, "He's completely crazy! ...Chez Shay, do you know him?"

Chez Shay abruptly puts her arms akimbo with a huff, and replies, "Oh right, like I'd associate with OTHER crazy people!"

The Beast gives Chez Shay a mock sad look, and says, "I'M CRAZY." She promptly grabs him, frightening him at first until he sees the sincere look in her eyes. She replies, "You're also my loyal little companion, so you don't count." She pokes his nose, and he once again falls into a state of bashfulness that amuses Chez Shay.

Lyla has been completely silent, afraid, but not terrified. She just stays close to Zan. Bella grunts in irritation over being cut off, and speaks up again, "Ergh... No, I'm not a Trouble Witch any mo-" "You CANNOT fool ME!" Achern trumpets, and the rat in his head pumpkin retreats back inside. He continues, "As the Pumpkin Cousin, I have inner senses that tell me of your nefarious intentions! You shall not pass!"

Bella shakes a fist as she yells, "Stop interrupting me!"

Chez Shay has had enough of Achern's foul odors, and watches a fly buzz by him. She mutters with a sour look, "Your 'inner senses' are more likely just telling you you need a bath something fierce, freako."

Zan speaks up, in his usual respectful tone he uses for strangers, "We truly do not have hostile intentions. We're here to save Eihemland, in fact."

Achern points a thumb at an ear as he promulgates, "Do you have bananas in your ears?! I said you CANNOT fool ME! Now pay me, or begone!" He shakes the cards at them again, and a cockroach goes flying.

Zan tilts his head in mild frustration, then looks at the others and calmly says, "...Let's just do that, then. I have those coins from the vault to use."

"Hell no!" Kira belts, causing Zan to flinch, then scowl.

However, Teresa also agrees, "No way! This guy's a mad man and doesn't deserve any compensation! He's just getting in our way!" Zan becomes a little more frustrated by the lack of cooperation his companions are willing to show.

Bridgette snarls at Achern, "Get the HECK out of our way you phony!"

Achern rears back exaggeratedly, and blathers, "Phony nothing! It is YOU who are the phonies! Trying to trick the great Pumpkin Cousin and mighty Culvert Toll Man!" He just keeps waving the cards around, scattering fleas, roaches and flies around, and howls, "Begoooone!"

Bella folds her arms with a disdainful sniff, and responds, "You aren't related to the Pumpkin Sisters! I know them personally! Zan knows them too, and if they DID have a cousin, they wouldn't leave him stuck in a gutter like this! YOU are the fake!"

Zan is growing a little concerned, and says, "Girls, calm down..."

Achern, however, jabbers with wild eyes, "How dare you accuse my heritage of being false! I have been admiring the Pumpkin Sisters since they first started their business! I have loyally supported them in their travels! I have-" "How old are you?" Kira cuts in suddenly, causing Achern to flinch.

Everyone looks at Kira, who has her arms folded, with a confident little look. They then look at the man. He stares at them, and a bead of drool drips from his mouth. "Hunh?" he responds.

Kira maintains her arm-fold, and sneers as she taunts, "Now who has bananas in their ears? It's a SIMPLE QUESTION. How old are you?!"

Achern brings a finger to his mouth, looking down and away for a moment, then hesitantly responds, "...Thirty... six? I think?"

Kira gestures confidently with a hand as she states, "Then you are not NEARLY old enough to be a 'second-cousin twice-removed'. You're just some loony fan of the Pumpkin Sisters, aren't you?"

Everyone smirks. They flinch when Achern snarls really hard, causing the rat in his head pumpkin to flee its mobile home. He wails, "NOOO! I AM related to the Pumpkin Sisters! MEEE! I SHALL MAKE THEM ACKNOWLEDGE ME!" He has started shaking with fury, causing dandruff to snow down to the ground around him, and he continues to prattle at the top of his lungs, "AND YOU SHALL REGRET YOUR FALSE ACCUSATIONS! REGREEEET!"

As he shakes with anger, one of his pointed ears falls clean off, revealing a human ear beneath. Teresa, arms akimbo as usual, points with a mean little sneer, and comments in a wry tone, "Well look at that. He's falling apart at the seams."

Bella busts out a laugh, also points, and exclaims, "Now we KNOW that he is definitely not a relative of the Pumpkin Sisters. They're elves, he's human!"

Chez Shay, with a rather uncomfortable look, remarks, "If you can call anyone who wears a rotten pumpkin on his head that. Not even I am crazy enough to do that."

The Beast points out rather obviously, "YOU'RE A GIRL."

Chez Shay lets out a soft growl, and forms a demonic look that she directs at him. She mutters evilly, "And that's supposed to mean... what?"

The Beast, however, is completely unafraid, thanks to knowing what he's about to say. He finishes, "YOU CARE ABOUT BEING CLEAN," and forms a confident grin.

Chez Shay falls silent, and tilts her head as a form of acknowledgement, realizing that The Beast just complimented her. Meanwhile, Achern has practically started to froth at the mouth, and this frightens the girls. He has grown so insane with fury, he spasms and spews, "GRAGASHARGHNAGAGHASHA!"

The girls back up a little, and Zan's cybernetic eye shifts to the Alarm Icon. Achern's fury nears its tipping point, and all the bugs on him evacuate the scene, scattering into the nooks and crannies of the hovel. "RAGHAASHARGHARGASH!" he continues.

Bridgette blinks, and remarks, "...Where have I heard that before?"

"He's gonna BLOOOW!" Chez Shay shrieks, pointing at him.

Achern finally bellows, "GRRAAAAAAAAHHH!" Suddenly, he LEAPS at the group, causing them to yelp.

He throws his worthless Skill Cards at the group, serving only to distract them. He stomps on Terea's foot, causing her to yelp in pain. He punches Zan in the face, causing him to jolt back. He tackles Bella, nearly knocking her over, only for him to heft her onto his shoulder, and take off running down the corridor with her. With a snarl, Kira aims her FN-P90, but Zan quickly pushes it down, gives her a stern, frowning look, and shakes his head.

Bella struggles a little in Achern's grip and snarls, "Put me DOWN you darn, dirty jerk!" Achern continues to run, frothing at the mouth with pin-point pupils and a bright red face. "PUT ME DOWN OR ELSE!" Bella angrily shrieks. He doesn't acknowledge.

Bella focuses her power, and creates a flare of light like those of the Camera Drones, only brighter, before his face. This causes the man to yelp in pain. He stops running, promptly dropping Bella onto her side. She climbs to her feet to get away from him, as he staggers around, arms outstretched to grope. He promptly trips on a piece of loose floor, clocks his head against the wall, knocking his rotten pumpkin off and revealing a nasty, scabbed and bald head, and collapses to the ground. Bella jogs back to the group. They crowd around her, and Teresa frets, "Bella! Are you ok?!" "Did he hurt you?" Bridgette adds, checking her over.

Bella checks herself over, wary of the yellow substance he's left on sections of her clothing, and replies, "Not really. He might have bruised me a little from that tackle, and I'm going to have to wash this shirt now, but I'm ok. Is your foot ok, Teresa?"

She nods. Bella checks Zan's face, and he is fine too. The group looks back at the man. Bella's demeanor has softened a little, and softens moreso as she sees him lying there in a crumpled mess. She softly remarks, "I actually kinda feel sorry for him now..."

Bridgette just folds her arms, and replies apathetically, "Hardly anyone is as threatening when they're unconscious."

Bella gives Bridgette a sorrowful look, and says, "Don't you feel at least some pity for him?"

Bridgette stands there, and her thoughts drift to uncomfortable memories. She lets out a soft exhale, when she realizes that she, too, was homeless for a time. She looks away, and only half-heartedly acknowledges, "...Yeah, I guess so..." She tries to put the memories out of her mind.

Lyla, however, has also started to feel condolence for the man, and she sorrowfully speaks up, "Yes... Someone like him actually needs people to care for him, rather than for him to be abandoned like this..."

Kira averts her eyes, and dismissively comments, "Pssh, his attitude could have been what lead to this life of poverty."

Chez Shay slowly shakes her head, muttering, "Pitiful, povertous pauper..." She abruptly returns her attention to their travel, and exclaims, "OH WELL. Let's go! Let's get out of this waterway before my hair starts to stink of the mildew!"

The group acknowledges, and passes through Achern's hovel. Bella leads, Zan trails. As they pass through the rat's nest of stuff, none of the girls notice as Zan produces seven gold coins from the stash he is carrying, and sets them on a small bucket that is doubling as a table, next to Achern's dirty cot-type bed. He continues on the next moment.

The group reaches the steel wall, and finds the door to be locked. Chez Shay shoves her Gunbrella barrel into the keyhole and fires a few shots, completely destroying the lock. The girls glare at her, and she just grins. They open the door. A cleaner, but by no means fresh, air, greets them, and they find themselves relieved by it. They pass through the doorway, leaving the culvert behind.

The first area they enter is a short corridor merging with a much larger one at a four-way intersection. They step into the intersection, and look around, taking in the silence. The larger corridor stretches for some distance in both directions, with a shorter one directly ahead leading into a small, open, empty chamber, and there is a catwalk above. They find themselves staring at what has essentially become nothing more than empty corridors lined with cells. They see some old wall-mounted rings for hanging things, and electric lights on the walls, but beyond these, they see nothing. The floor is dusty, but clean. The walls are clean. And lining the walls of the major corridor are a series of empty cells. Completely empty. So empty, in fact, they no longer even have their bars or gates. They are nothing more than open, closet-like compartments now. Zan and the girls walk up to some of these cells, peer in, and see nothing. Absolutely nothing. Not a sign that they have been used recently or in the past. Lyla spots a fly buzz by. The silence is deafening. Beyond the extremely faint hum of electricity from the old lights on the walls, there is no ambiance. The air is stuffy, slightly dusty, but much drier and cleaner than the culverts. Everyone finally begins to dry up now, and Bridgette's and Bella's tops slowly become less transparent.

They look around, take in the grand silence, and flinch, when Chez Shay bellows, "HELLO?!" Her voice echoes down the passage to the walls at its ends.

Kira stares, and finds herself slightly fascinated by this new environment. She finally looks at Sasha, and remarks, "...Are you sure this is a dungeon, Sasha? It looks more like... an empty office building."

Sasha, rather disturbed herself by the utter emptiness, timidly replies, "Well, it WAS, but..."

Teresa, her pigtails sagging just slightly, whispers as though she needs to, "It's so, so quiet... I mean... REALLY, REALLY quiet. Quieter than that ancient tunnel we went through... It'd be creepy if it wasn't so empty too."

Lyla peers into yet another cell, finding absolutely nothing yet again, and adds, "...And it's clean. I always expect to see... ugly things... in a dungeon... Pain tools... Blood... Corpses..."

Zan, for one, is fascinated, being a fan of big empty spaces, and replies, "This is not Sanctuary. And fortunately, that also means we're not likely to encounter any malevolent spirit creatures or undead roaming around."

Chez Shay forms a foul look, and grumps, "Well that's just great..." She puts her Gunbrella away, and complains, "Back to BORING, I guess." "WE WANT CRIMINAL ZOMBIES!" The Beast hollers, his voice echoing around inside the great chamber.

Bella huffs with a strong tone of annoyance, catching everyone's attention. She has her hands on her hips, and in irritation she states, "Do you all really think that the government of Eihemland is still so primitive that they'd use such archaic methods of incarceration? They have actual prisons now!"

Bridgette nods right away, and responds, "Which makes complete sense, since it's kind of a stupid idea to store dangerous criminals below the most important place in the entire city. Prisons are notorious for being an inefficient means of rehabilitation, and have a laundry list of other problems associated with them. What fool king would want to KEEP all those people who want him dead right below his throne?"

Lyla, while still just a tad nervous due to the sheer silence, is no longer actually afraid, and comments, "...This really relieves me. I was quite worried I'd be seeing some frightening things... I hear dungeon, I think fear..."

Teresa, now also calm again, just keeps looking around, and remarks, "It doesn't even really count as a dungeon anymore. It's more like... a basement." Some of the girls chuckle.

Kira asserts, "Or an office building. It'd make for a great storage depot too. It's remarkably dry for a foundation placed right against a network of water tunnels." She sniffs the air, picking up no aquatic scents.

Bella feels inclined to point out the best way to appreciate this new respite, and says, "Well, at least it looks like we can rest from fighting again." She looks down at her still transparent-for-the-moment top, and adds, "And this dry air should help us dry up pretty quickly, finally." She looks back up, and states, "Let's figure out where NESTS base is. It's probably below the castle, so we can assume we can find it through this place."

The group agrees, and half of them turn left, while half turn right. They promptly stop and look at each other. They then look at Zan. He gives them a look that turns weird, and says with a defensive gesture, "...Don't look at me. I only got a map of the culverts from that droid, not this dungeon slash basement slash office building slash-" "Maaasterrr..." Teresa fusses cutely. Zan snickers.

Bella points in the direction she was going to head in and says, "Well I say we head to the right. I see a door down there."

Chez Shay more aggressively points in the direction SHE was headed in, and retorts, "Well I say we head left! I see some STAIRS that way!"

Bella gives her a smug look, and replies, "Fine. You go that way then."

Bella heads to the right, and everyone else goes with her. Chez Shay and The Beast go left. She gets to the stairs, only to find that they just lead to the catwalks above the major corridor. Grumbling angrily, she turns and runs after Bella and her group. Everyone passes through the door, and finds themselves in a stairwell with some side rooms at the lowest and mid-levels. These rooms, too, are completely empty. They climb it to a higher level, and find themselves in another long corridor full of completely empty cells with a four-way intersection in its center, more or less identical to the lower level. They do not investigate the side rooms, but head to the door at the opposite end of the long corridor. They climb another set of stairs, and enter yet another chamber. This one, however, is quite a bit wider than the past two, and has a series of equally larger side rooms all along it, rather than a corridor of cells. However, at the very end of the chamber, they see a metal wall that looks far too sophisticated to be a part of the dungeon itself. Everyone's eyes widen, and they dash toward this wall. Once they reach it, they come to a stop, finding themselves staring at a very high tech entryway, with a vertical central-split-style door, a few red lights around it, and a control panel beside it. Bella becomes excited, which leads the others to become excited. She exclaims, "Is this... Is this the entrance to NESTS' base below the castle?!"

Lyla nervously comments, "...Even their doors look intimidating."

Kira touches the door, forming a huge, pearly-white grin, and she quietly says, "We found them... And our stuff is likely beyond this door..."

Chez Shay barks, "OPEN IT!" "OOOPEEEN EEET!" The Beast bellows.

Teresa and Bridgette are equally excited. Zan approaches the door, and examines it, including a scan. After a second, everyone notices when his anticipation slumps, and he finally mutters, "...Naturally."

Bella, at the edge of her patience, responds, "Let me guess: locked."

Zan gives the girls an annoyed look, as he explains, "Very much so, and totally understandably so. The control panel could unlock it, if we had the means to hack into it. I can't reclaim it either, since it is part of a larger structure. And before you suggest it, Chez Shay, this door is indestructible to conventional weapons."

Chez Shay grumps, and puts her Gunbrella away again. The girls become disappointed. Teresa, however, notices a lonely dripping sound, and turns to walk toward it. Zan detects that something is happening with the droid in his pocket dimension, and takes it out. It is wiggling excitedly, and seems to be trying to connect to the control panel. The girls watch, curiously, as Zan scans the droid. He nods in interest after a moment, and says, "...Ahh, now this is useful. This droid has the means to unlock the door, but won't do it for us. Right now it's trying to trigger an intruder alarm, but it is too damaged to do so."

Bella watches the droid twitch frantically, and inquires, "What do you think you could do, Zan?"

Zan, as he continues to run scans on the droid, states, "I believe I may actually be able to repair and reprogram this droid to serve us. If I do, I can get it to unlock the door, and we will be able to get in undetected."

Chez Shay folds her arms in annoyance, and complains, "Always with the stealth stuff, Zan! Where's your desire for excitement?!"

Zan gives her a wary look as he answers, "I left it back in the Stonedump Field when I nearly broke my skull on that rock. We NEED our gear, Chez Shay, before we take on the whole of NESTS. Until then, we need to just be quiet, ok?" He gives her as respectable a look as he can.

Chez Shay takes note of his sincere respect, lets out a hard sigh, and responds, "I'll only do that because you ask so nicely, Zan. Anyone else?" She flicks her thumb to the side, "Forget it."

Bridgette gives Zan a cute smirk, and comments, "You are so popular, Zan."

He rolls his eyes, and dismissively replies, "If only that were true."

Teresa, standing near a doorway to one of the large side chambers, calls out to the group, "Hey! I found a big, good room to take a break in! It has a sink and everything! I think it might have been a dining room or something!"

Zan looks at the rather disheveled girls, he himself not much better off, and says, "Taking one more break sounds like a wise choice. I'll need time to work on this droid, and once we get into the base, there will be no turning back or stopping until we complete the mission, since we're right on top of the enemy now."

Lyla quietly corrects, "Or... right under them anyway." She gives Zan a cute little grin, and he nods with an amused smile.

Bella nods, tugging at her still somewhat wet clothing, and giving that yellow spot a wary look again, she speaks up, "Alright then. One more break. Let's look around and see if there is ANYTHING in here we can make use of."

The group acknowledges. Zan, Teresa, Bella and Bridgette head into the large room, while Kira, Lyla, Sasha, Chez Shay and The Beast go into the other rooms of the area.

Zan moves to sit against a wall, and sets the droid on the floor. It wiggles a little, and seems to try to shoot him, as its blaster makes a faint crackling noise. Zan, reaching over the droid, gently speaks as though to a wounded animal, "Now now... I'm not going to hurt you..." He carefully removes the droid's power supply to shut it down for now.

Bridgette, Bella and Teresa watch this, then give each other warm looks. Bridgette comments with strong warmth, "He's so gentle... even with mechanical things..."

Bella, with an equally warm expression, replies, "I can totally understand that. He is half mechanical himself. But yeah, I love him for that, too."

They head over to the sink. Bella proceeds to remove her top while Teresa gets the water running. It's a little grungy at first, but after some sputtering, it clears up and becomes clean. Bridgette removes her dress completely, since she has to do so to get at her lacy dress slip. They begin to wash these articles in the sink. Teresa undoes her pigtails, pulling out plastic spokes used to keep them erect, and starts running her hands through her hair. As they freshen up, Kira comes in, and blinks when she sees them doing this. She looks at Zan, and sees his microbeams dancing about on the droid laying before him on the floor. She walks over and watches him for a bit. He looks up at her, then notices Bridgette's and Bella's nudity. He looks at Kira again, and she gives him an amused look. He returns the look, shrugs, and resumes working on the droid. Kira asks, "Any idea how long this will take?"

Zan keeps his eyes on the droid, though his cybernetic eye flickers slightly, and he answers, "Fifteen minutes, according to my estimates."

Lyla bursts into the room, and hysterically exclaims, "EVERYONE! EVERYONE! WE FOUND FOOD!"

They all flinch. Bella immediately blurts a response, "WHAT?!"

Teresa, far more skeptical, adds, "...Down here?"

Bridgette and Kira, too, are skeptical. But then Chez Shay comes in carrying a metal container that is clearly made of neotech. She exclaims, "YES down here! Help us get some of it you slackers!" She drops the container on the floor and runs out.

Lyla, Kira, Teresa, as well as Bella and Bridgette, who remain topless/nude, go with her and follow into another room, where they find a very large array of containers of different shapes and sizes. They find one of them opened, and bread sticking out. This excites them quickly, and they start checking containers and hauling them into the big room. Zan, however, doesn't move from his spot, and while still working on the droid, watches them bring the things in. He asks, "What is in there?"

Teresa, carrying a container, squeals, "It looks like a big storage closet!"

Bridgette comes in, also carrying a container, and comments, "The Eihemland Royalty is probably using this dungeon as overflow storage now that it's not a prison anymore. We found a huge stash of food items!"

They start opening containers, and find cereals, bread, sliced meat preserved with salt, fruit, and even ice cream inside one particularly frigid container. As they sort all of these things out, Lyla speaks up, "Can someone start a fire? It would be nice to cook some of this food!"

"Bridgette?" Teresa says, looking at her expectantly.

Bridgette looks around thoughtfully, and replies, "We'll need something that burns for a while, and we shouldn't burn the food..."

Teresa quickly gets an idea, and says, "Hang on a sec." She focuses her power, and creates a Tar Blob. She lets it settle to the ground, and chimes, "There!"

Bridgette is skeptical, but uses her Fire power to ignite the Tar Blob, and it quickly turns into a steady little campfire. The girls become very pleased, and settle down near Zan to start cooking some of the food they have found. Bridgette and Bella do so despite the former's nudity and the latter's toplessness.

As they work on this, making meals for themselves, Kira remembers something and says, "Hey, Teresa, what about those nighthawk eggs you found?"

Teresa shakes her head, her hair, deceptively long when not done up into twin pigtails, swaying and catching Zan's eye. She exclaims, "No way! I'm not gonna use those for food! I'm saving them for my experiments!"

Lyla cheerfully states, "I'll make some sandwiches with this bread, meat and fruit we found!"

The girls happily chatter, as they start making food items, and quickly begin to eat. Chez Shay eats ravenously. In a moment of cuteness, Teresa gives Zan a scoop of ice cream. He gives her an appreciative look afterward, and she smiles adoringly. The others are amused by this, and resume eating.

Chez Shay, devouring her food, tries to talk with her mouth full, "HAAAA! Iff benn wantin' t' eat-" "SWALLOW!" Bridgette angrily shouts, "Why do I keep having to remind people of that?!"

Chez Shay gives Bridgette a dirty look, chews rapidly, swallows, and grunts at her. She tries again, and exclaims, "I've been wanting to eat something since YESTERDAY! I still wish we'd caught that crab..."

Teresa flinches, getting riled up on the spot, and she squeals, "ENOUGH WITH THE CRAB."

The Beast grins, floats close to Teresa's ear, and growls, "CRAAAAB..." "GAH!" Teresa shrieks, and shoves him. "GET AWAY!" she adds.

The girls laugh, and continue eating. Chez Shay pinches Teresa, and says, "Crab pinch." "Ow! Stop it!" Teresa yelps.

Chez Shay pinches Bella. She yelps, her bare breasts jolting, and she swats at her. Chez Shay starts moving around, pinching everyone, and they all swat and yell at her. Kira anticipates when she's about to be pinched, however, grabs Chez Shay's hand, and twists it at the wrist. Chez Shay yelps, snarls, and throws herself on Kira. The two start wrestling, and Chez Shay taunts Kira to perform the same stunts she used when she was in the water. Indeed, Kira has a harder time, but she does manage to throw Chez Shay around a bit. The girls resume eating, watching this as the two roll around and snarl. Lyla slowly finishes chewing a bite of a sandwich she made, watching the two shrieking furies roll around, and comments, "...Should... should we stop them?"

Teresa, calm again and stirring some cereal, replies rather bluntly, "No way."

Kira flips Chez Shay over herself, and Chez Shay yelps when her back hits the ground. Bridgette finishes a bite of an apple, points at the flip-over, and remarks, "And have something like that happen to us?"

Bella, rolling her eyes, snarks, "Those two get along so well," and puts a scoop of ice cream in her mouth.

Chez Shay gets Kira in an arm lock, only for Kira to bite her. Lyla cringes, and whimpers, "I'm scared again..." She bites her sandwich.

Bridgette swallows her apple chunk, and responds, "Oh hush."

Kira is straddling Chez Shay, trying to scratch her face, when Chez Shay grabs her with her legs and flings her off. With one more bite, Bridgette finishes her apple, and comments, "I tell you what, though. Chez Shay is the most psychotic rabbit I have ever seen."

Zan suddenly looks up with a mild flinch, and quietly echoes, "Psychotic rabbit..?" He looks around at the group.

Suddenly, it dawns upon Zan as to exactly what he has been working with all of this time... He stares at everyone, and mutters, "...Two cats... Two rabbits..." Kira and Chez Shay, in the middle of struggling with each other, halt when they hear this. The girls look at him. Bella, and Kira... Teresa, and Chez Shay... Two cats, two rabbits. Zan just stares at them, and lets out a single laugh. He remarks, "How did I end up with such a fluffy party?"

The girls' eyes widen. They look at each other as though they had been HIGHLY offended. They then lunge to "attack" Zan, and he yelps as they scratch and pinch and poke and prod. He struggles under the assault, and cries out horribly, "OH PRIME! IT'S A FLUFFY STORM! SOMEONE SAVE ME!"

Bridgette, in all her nudity, pulls at his flesh cheek, and exclaims with a smile, "KEEP IT UP, HOTSHOT!" She tugs at his face.

Teresa jabs her finger into his stomach repeatedly, though clearly this causes no pain, and she adds, "We'll NUZZLE you to death!"

Zan wails, "NOOOO- ok, that's enough of that."

The girls all have a good, hard laugh. Their stomachs full, their inventories loaded with treasure, their goal directly ahead, and their moods greatly improved, the morale of the party has spiked. Chez Shay flops over to rest beside Zan, and The Beast sits beside her to watch Zan's microbeams dance on the droid. His eyes slowly turn into hypnotic swirls. Kira goes over to the sink, and pulls off her bathing suit, rendering herself nude as well, to give it a good washing with the other clothes. Bella and Bridgette resume washing theirs out as well, and wring the clothes out afterward. Teresa disperses the tar that is being used for the fire, and it shortly burns out with nothing to serve as fuel. Lyla lays out her carpet beside Zan, and sits in the middle of it to meditate. Sasha sets her oil lamp shell down next to Sasha and retracts into it, possibly to take a nap.

Bella, Bridgette and Kira finish washing their clothes, and let them hang on the sink to dry. Teresa moves to sit on Lyla's carpet, immediately next to Zan, and leans against him. Bella, Bridgette and Kira approach, and sit on the carpet as well. The girls begin to quietly converse about the situation at hand, while Zan spends the remaining time necessary reprogramming the droid.

Several more minutes pass, the silence of the chamber serving as a peaceful respite from the chaos that was, and the chaos to follow... The girls notice when Zan's microbeams stop dancing on the droid, and he smiles in satisfaction. "Done," he gently announces.

Teresa looks at the droid, then at Zan, smiling. She exclaims, "Great! That didn't take too long!"

Chez Shay, still on the floor and laying the back of a hand over her face, groans exasperatedly, "Aaaaahh... Tell that to my crazy-bored mind..."

Kira, still nude, points at Chez Shay and retorts, "Your mind is just crazy." Chez Shay huffs as though Kira had just stated something blatantly obvious.

Zan starts into scanning the droid again, and the girls notice a rather frightening grin form on his face. He mutters ominously, "...Excellent..."

Teresa subconsciously mimics the grin. "Hee hee hee hee... Master Zan's got that evil look of useful knowledge I so love..." she comments in her own tone of ominousness.

Lyla shrinks back slightly at the sight of such a fearsome look on such a loving man's face, and responds, "...Woah... That's... actually pretty unnerving."

Hearing this, Chez Shay quickly takes a look, and the sight of the grin enamors her. She cries out in elation, "Oh WOW. That is one hot expression you can put on!"

Bridgette crimps the corner of her mouth and blurts, "Quiet you." Chez Shay snaps a glare at Bridgette, but she ignores it, turning her attention to Zan, and inquires, "What did you find, Zan?"

He looks up at Bridgette, his cybernetic eye swirling with processes. He gestures toward the still-offline droid as he states, "The code for the jamming frequency that NESTS is using. I'm currently altering my scanners to override the frequency."

Bella immediately becomes extremely excited. "HO HO HO! That IS excellent!" she exclaims. Everyone else becomes delighted as well.

Zan looks back at the droid, the evil expression replaced with tranquility again, as he explains, "With this code, I can now do long range scans across the entire region like I normally could. Please continue standing- er, sitting by." He runs the processes as fast as his cybernetics will allow.

The anticipation starts to kill the girls, and Chez Shay groans hard. Zan arrows an eye at Chez Shay's reaction, looks at everyone again, and says, "Well, while I'm running the scans... I also have a list of tech that NESTS has stolen from other realms. We were accurate about what these things reminded us of. Evidently they've been to Zebesian Space Pirate bases, a Halo, a Koprulu Terran installation... They've been to Xen, Mars, Contectia... I see they're going to be a problem for us in the future... Not just today's mission."

Lyla looks distressed. Kira and Teresa look annoyed. Bella mutters something inaudible under her breath. Bridgette, however, is astounded, and urgently inquires, "How could they have done this?"

Zan looks back down at the droid once again, and explains with a calm, but mildly disturbed tone, "All they needed was to find one source of Interdimensional Static, study it, and take control of it, and they could start jumping around the way we do... The problem is, because they're using Static, which is a tear, rather than the Causeways we use, which could be likened to button holes in the fabric, they're only making the tears worse with every transit they make. I should have expected they would know about this, but either they don't, or they don't CARE."

Bella, distressed by the concept, replies, "Either way, this isn't going to be the last we'll see of them, is it?"

Zan slowly shakes his head as he confirms, "It does look that way, I'm afraid..." His long-range scans become complete, and he frowns. He speaks up, "Hmm... My scans are finished. NESTS is everywhere alright... But only in Eihemland City and the nearby territories. That entryway is definitely into their castle base, but the Interdimensional Static is not there. Our gear is, and that takes priority, however."

Bella becomes determined, and responds, "Right!" She stands up suddenly, her breasts bouncing in the process, and she clutches a hand into a fist as she dramatically declares, "We're fed up with being gearless! We've gone too long with out them." She gestures dynamically toward the base's general direction, causing her breasts to move again, and finishes, "It's time we took the fight to NESTS directly, and steal our gear back!"

The other girls acknowledge enthusiastically, and jump to their feet too, Bridgette's breasts moving excitedly as a result.

Zan replaces the power supply of the droid, and it awakens. The grey and blue colors of its lights and marking plates have been replaced by purple and green ones, and it rises up to float passively by Bella's side. She gives it a wary look at first, but when it does nothing but float there and "look" at everyone, she says, "It's on our side now, right?"

Zan now stands up with the rest, and replies, "It is. It will obey any of us."

Chez Shay forms a malicious expression, and drones, "Cooool..." "VERY COOL," The Beast adds with an identical expression.

Zan gives them a flat look, having expected this, and points out, "...Amethytus Entourage members proper, that is."

Chez Shay and The Beast immediately pout, sagging their arms, and groan, "Aww..."

Zan pauses when he notices the nudity before him in full now, and the others become aware of this. Bridgette shifts into a curvy pose, one hand akimbo, giving him a cute smile. Bella folds her arms under her breasts to lift them just slightly. Kira just stands there, and while her child's body is showing signs of development, for now it is to be treated with due respect. She is comfortable like this around Zan however, already, and when she gets cautious looks from him, responds, "...What?"

Bridgette, however, keeps holding her body in suggestive stances, and teasingly says, "Once we get our Contour Barriers, we could just STAY like this, you know."

Bella also grins, a snagglefang peeking out, and she flirts, "I bet you'd want us to do that, huh?"

Zan just smiles at them, allowing his eyes to take in the lovely sights only to a limited degree, and he replies, "Maybe another time. We'll probably have to fight for our gear, since Kusanagi said they were studying them, so you'd best just put your clothes back on for this."

Bella remembers that she is quite a bit more vulnerable right now, mutters, "He has a point..." and looks down at her breasts.

Bridgette pretends to be reluctant and turns to stick her backside out toward Zan a little, forcing the Arousal Icon to appear in his cybernetic eye. She comments, "Ah, but running around in their base nude is BOUND to cause some distractions in the guy-filled place!"

Kira quickly forms a horrified look, and looks down at her own nude body as she responds, "What, and have all those punks checking out my body?" She then gestures with an angry swipe of dismissal, and shouts, "Forget that!" She goes over to the sink and grabs her swimsuit.

Chez Shay moves close to Zan as he watches his girls give him one more flirt, before moving to collect their clothes. She quietly whispers to him, "You said she was eleven... right?"

Zan quietly replies, "Yeah... But she revealed a surprisingly promiscuous side once she joined the Estate. I will not tell you anything else, so don't ask." She just gives Zan a rather wicked grin and he eyes her warily.

Bridgette, Bella and Kira get dressed. Teresa reconstructs her pigtails and sets them erect with her hair spokes. Lyla, who had been meditating quietly the entire time, taps Sasha's oil lamp shell, and Sasha momentarily peers out sleepily. Lyla gently coaxes her to rise into the air, then gathers up her carpet. Sasha lets out a cute yawn, which makes Lyla yawn, which makes Chez Shay yawn, which makes The Beast yawn. They look at Zan, and he shrugs. "...Did you forget already?" he responds, and they grunt.

The group then brings out and checks their weapons. Bridgette focuses her Volt and Fire element power, having difficulty fusing the two into the Plasma element without an amplifier, and settles for just having one Volt hand and one Fire hand. Teresa focuses her power, and tries to store some of it for quick use later. Zan checks over his Pulse Rifle and cleans a bit of debris off of it. Bella checks over her Compression Phaser Rifle, and gives the barrel a quick wipe-down. Kira checks over her FN-P90, and nods with a dangerous sneer. Chez Shay dynamically gestures her Gunbrella, ready to go. The Beast forms a badass arm-fold, with a sharp-tooth grin. Lyla sorts out her Skill Card deck, and nods. Sasha yawns again.

Bella takes on a prominent stance, and declares, "Is everyone ready?!" Everyone responds resoundingly, "Ready!"

Bella turns to the captured Shield Drone, and speaks in a cute tone, "Ok, little droid. Do your thing! Unlock the base door for us!"

The droid seemingly nods, emitting a mechanical chirp. It flies out of the room, and the group quickly follows. It leads them to the entryway of the NESTS base. The droid stops in front of it, and starts firing a particle beam at a receptor by the control panel. The girls and Zan gather at the door. Zan, Teresa and Bridgette stay close to the wall on the left side in a defensive position. Bella, Kira and Lyla plus Sasha stay close to the wall on the door's right side, with Bella closest to the door, gun at the ready. Chez Shay and The Beast position themselves directly in front of the door, ready to shoot at anything that moves. They are all quickly getting riled up. Their adrenaline begins to flow, their hearts begin to race, and they grow tense. The droid ends the transmission. Shortly, the red lights over the door turn green, and with a hiss, the door splits open for them. Chez Shay twitches, but sees nothing, and nods at them. Bella leans in to peer around, and sees no enemies in sight within. She gestures for everyone to head in, and they quietly scurry in through the door, the droid moving along with them. Momentarily, the door shuts, the lights over it turn red, and silence once again fills the empty chamber of the castle dungeon.

~Waypoint 18: Four Stages of Triumph~

The moment the door shuts, it locks again. Everyone quickly clusters together and looks in all directions, weapons or attack skills at the ready. They slowly ease up, when they see nothing, but the dimly lit corridor they have entered. It is quiet, a midnight blue all throughout, that evokes the feeling of a starship in night shift, but it is probably mid-morning by now. Aside from the subtle hum of a distant power source, there is minimal ambiance. The very long and large corridor is gently curved, to take on a ninety-degree angle, like one quarter of a circle's outline, with the door the group used in the center of the outer wall, facing another door on the inner wall. A terminal is set into the wall beside this door. Zan takes a moment to make a quick scan of the area. As the group carefully surveys the initial environment, Bella quietly and curiously wonders, "...Where are all the enemies?"

Bridgette, easing up just a little, replies, "Apparently we actually have managed to get the drop on them."

Easing up further, the girls spread out to explore this corridor. It is remarkably featureless, and they eventually find both ends of it. Both of them are open doorways to additional, inward-curving corridors, but the doorways are blocked by energy barriers. Teresa rests a hand on a barrier, and it buzzes angrily, repulsing her hand, causing her to flinch. She looks around, but doesn't see any terminals to use to control the force fields. She looks back at the group, sees the Shield Drone, and an idea comes up in her inexperienced mind. She says, "Come here, little robot." The Shield Drone turns to face her, then floats over. She points at the energy barrier, and adds, "See if you can get through this energy wall."

Kira, observing this, narrows an eye and mutters, "Uhh, Teresa?"

The Shield Drone bumps against the barrier, and gets repulsed too. Teresa scowls, and Kira sighs, squeezing the bridge of her nose. She states, "That Shield Drone is on our side now, so naturally the force fields are going to block it too. They probably even block their own droids."

Teresa is annoyed, and continues to check out the empty corridor. Chez Shay prowls around, looking for anything that might be a threat, but finds nothing but a few terminals on the walls. She starts to become twitchy, and the dreaded boredom is beginning to rear its ugly head again. She mutters erratically, "Urge... to blow up... rising..."

Bella becomes alarmed, and firmly responds, "Don't, Chez Shay. Just don't. We need the element of surprise here until we can get our gear back!"

Chez Shay aims her Gunbrella around as she whines, "Just a little bit! I'll just shoot a few shots here and there." "AND THERE. AND THERE. AND THERE," The Beast echoes while pointing in various directions.

Kira, Bella and Teresa simultaneously speak, "Don't." Chez Shay scowls, becoming twitchier.

Lyla, quite unsettled, and firmly gripping her Tambourines, ready to react to anything, comments as she looks around, "This is unnerving, but... not as bad as I expected."

Sasha, floating close to Lyla and just as nervous, says with clear surprise, "Did we really do such a good job of sneaking in that they aren't expecting us?"

Bridgette moves through the corridor to its other end to check on something, and remarks as she passes by, "Let's not question this stroke of fortune. Let's just keep searching!"

Bella has moved back to the door they entered from, finding it locked tight again, and turns to face the inner central door. As she does, she says, "Well, the exit's closed off, and the other corridors are blocked. All that leaves is this central door." Everyone moves up to the door on the inner wall. Zan has been standing by this door since they spread out. Bella looks at him, and on seeing his Scan Icon, asks, "What do your scans say, Zan?"

Zan, staring straight at the door's terminal, answers, "This is the 'Southeastern Outer Perimeter Corridor'. It has the lowest clearance level. It is connected to the other two corridors, which are connected to a fourth to form a loop-shaped perimeter concourse around the base. According to my scans, which are being limited by natural barriers, this underground base is literally 'nest shaped'." The girls groan at the elaborate pun, and Zan responds, "I kid you not, and the pun is evidently deliberately built in. It IS, actually, rather practical for a short-term use base."

Teresa looks around the corridor once more, and comments, "There's nothing in here. It's completely empty."

Zan nods as he acknowledges, "Probably the least-used of the corridors. This door is the only passage to take, so let's have the Shield Drone open it for us." The Shield Drone moves closer.

Kira, however, gives Zan a speculative look and asks, "Can't you open it?"

He shakes his head lightly, replying, "It may be lowest clearance, but it still has a clearance level, of which I have none, and if I try to hack in, or if we just break in, we may set off an alarm. Our captured droid should be able to do it though."

Bella nods with conviction, points at the door, and declares, "Right! Shield Drone, unlock that door!" It just floats there. Bella blinks, and repeats, "...I said, unlock the door!" The droid "looks" at her. She stares at it with a slight tilt of the head and a narrowed eye, and adds, "...please?"

It turns and starts firing a particle beam at a receptor by the terminal. The girls give it a strange look, then turn that look toward Zan. Bella snarks, "What, did you program it with a personality or something?"

Zan shakes his head in bafflement equal to theirs as he replies, "Don't look at me. All I did was change the command acceptance subroutines, the ally identification algorithm and the faction colors. That must have been there to begin with."

Teresa turns her stare on the droid, and asks with sincere surprise, "These robots have personalities?"

Kira, however, finds it far less surprising, and comments, "That's hardly far-fetched. You haven't been to very many realms with intelligent robots, have you?"

Teresa gives her a flat look, and replies, "No, you?"

Kira's demeanor turns smug as she answers, "I've BUILT some. And now that we're with Amethytus Estate, we're clearly going to get to encounter them ourselves."

The dim red light over the door turns green, and the door hisses open. The girls jump, and aim their weapons in the doorway, but once again see no enemies. Chez Shay finds this quite frustrating, and loudly responds, "Gaaaahhh... Is this place abandoned too?!"

Bridgette gives her a look of severe annoyance, points toward the doorway, and orders, "Just shut up and go."

Everyone heads through the doorway, leaving the corridor. The glint of a nondescript lens, belonging to a well-hidden camera, observes this entire scene...

Once again the door shuts and locks behind them, and the group finds themselves at the wide end of a rather large, quarter-circle-shaped storage chamber. Spread out before them are ceiling height shelves, stacks of crates and containers of all different shapes and sizes. It is slightly less dimly lit in here, but still bears a silence that has begun to leave the group feeling apprehensive. Teresa's pigtails sag just slightly as she pans her view across the large chamber, and remarks, "...It is too quiet in here." Lyla shivers slightly.

Chez Shay raises her Gunbrella and states, "I vote we make some noise." The Beast nods enthusiastically.

However, Zan, giving her gentle gesture to ease up, and speaking in a tone of care, pleads, "Just... hold off on that a little longer, Chez Shay. I'm certain you'll get to fight someone. Just let us continue to take advantage of this stealth while we can... Please..."

Chez Shay gives Zan an adoring look, but also sighs. "You're asking much of me, lover boy..." she mumbles, and Zan gives her a grateful look. The Beast passes an odd look between the two.

The group spreads out into the large storage chamber, and begin investigating containers. The Shield Drone follows Bella around quietly, and she actually forgets it's there at a point. She flinches when she notices it, and it gives her a curious "look". Kira opens a container and finds a bunch of jackets like what the Kyo clones wear. She grimaces. Bridgette peeks into a container, and flinches when she finds herself staring at men's underwear. She blushes and quickly closes the container. Teresa opens a container, and finds numerous circuit boards. Not knowing what they are, she ignores them. Bella opens a container, and then throws open the lid when she finds a large stack of Skill Cards. Her eyes wide, a big smile forms on her face as she picks a few of them up to look at them. They radiate with mystic energy, and are clearly unused and ready to go. Bella looks out in the direction of the others and excitedly calls out, "Lyla! Chez Shay! Check it out!"

They quickly approach, and their eyes light up when they see them. The droid floats around behind them, observing. Lyla picks up a couple gazing at them in delight, and exclaims, "There must be over a hundred of them here!"

Chez Shay has formed a terrifying grin as she mutters evilly, "So much power..." She starts cackling, and tries to scoop them up, shouting, "All mine!"

Bella grabs her by a wrist, causing her to throw a glare, but Bella bypasses this as she responds, "Uh, excuse me, but we're a TEAM, remember?"

Lyla gives her a timid but slightly skeptical look, and adds, "Plus you said you prefer to shoot things, didn't you?"

Chez Shay yanks her hand free and blurts, "Well I changed my mind! GIMME!"

They start dividing up the Skill Cards amongst them. The others continue to search, until they hear Zan respond to something, "Hmm?" His cybernetic eye shifts to Scan Mode again, and he rests a hand on his cybernetic temple.

Teresa, having noticed his reaction, looks at him curiously and inquires, "Master?" "Zan, what is it?" Bridgette adds.

The others peer around crates and shelves to look at him. They watch as his eyes slowly widen in alarm, and the girls tense. His excitement rapidly grows, and finally he exclaims, "...I'm detecting Amethytus Signatures in here! ...Some of our gear is in here!"

The girls become hysterical. The droid becomes confused by this. Bridgette grabs him by his suit jacket and excitedly shrieks, "Where?! What is it?!"

"Checking!" Zan shouts, and his eyes dart this way and that for a moment, finally settling in one particular direction. He throws a point in that direction and yells, "...They're over this way!"

Everyone excitedly follows Zan as he leads them through several shelf mini-hallways in the storage room, and they come upon a large, sealed crate of advanced metal. Zan scans the crate, shouts, "In here!" then slacks up a bit as he mutters, "...It's locked..."

Kira, surging with anticipation, hollers, "Well UNLOCK IT!"

Zan moves a little closer to the crate, and says, "Wait a sec." He points his fingers at it, and starts to reclaim the lock, causing the girls to groan and become very antsy. After a second, he mumbles, "Almost..." and keeps keeps reclaiming.

Teresa, bouncing in place, whines, "Come oooon..."

Finally, the lock dissolves, and Zan shouts, "There!"

The girls squeak with excitement. The droid floats behind them, curious. The container cracks opens on its own, and Zan throws the lid open the rest of the way. Everyone tightly clusters around, and the girls let out a happy gasp. Zan reaches in.

He takes out his GravBoard. He holds it up in front of him, the Joy Icon taking over his cybernetic eye. He laughs, "Ha-haaa!" then swings it around to hold it over his head and cheers, "DAA NAA NAA NAAAA! I got my GravBoard back!"

The girls laugh. Bridgette reaches in. She takes out her GravBoard. She holds it up, a flat look taking over her face, and she cheers, "...Yay," She puts it away.

Teresa reaches in, nearly falling into the container in the process. She squeals with delight, and flips back to her feet, holding her own GravBoard. She hops in place a couple of times and giddily giggles, "HEEEE HEHE HEE HEE HEE!" She huggles the GravBoard, and squeals, "I've MISSED this thing SOOO much!" She immediately climbs aboard and floats there, making sure it works, and giggles some more.

Kira reaches in, also having difficulty doing so, and has to lay on the container's rim on her stomach. She lets out a solid laugh, and hops back to her feet, holding her GravPack. She gives it a huge grin with her pearly-whites, and exclaims, "Awesome! I can fly again!" She immediately straps it on and tests it, floating around for a bit. Her grin stays strong as she does so.

Chez Shay watches with mild amusement as everyone gets all jovial over the reacquisition of some of their items. Lyla is very happy.

Bella reaches in. At the bottom of the container are her three pouches. She smiles brightly, but the next moment, when she picks them up, a fearful look overcomes her face. She starts whimpering, catching everyone's attention, and the droid becomes alarmed. She takes them out, sets the pouches on the top of a container beside the one they've emptied, and checks inside the pouches. Her whimpers become cries of distress, "No! No no no! My tools! All my tools in my pouches are gone!" She gives Zan a very upset look, tears quickly forming in the corners of her eyes, and she cries, "Those tools were important! And this place is so big, we'll probably never find them!" The tears well up moreso, and her lips quiver as she whimpers, "Everyone got something back but for me..."

Zan quickly sets his GravBoard aside and embraces Bella, where she softly sobs for a moment. The others solemnly watch, though Chez Shay actually looks a little peeved by this. Lyla looks sad as well. The droid registers Bella's distress as something to be angered by, and it develops an angry demeanor for something with no face. As Bella sobs, Zan holds her close, and she buries her face in his chest. He tenderly whispers, "It's ok... It's ok... It'll be ok, Bella... They're just tools... Easily replaced tools... You won't need them here, and once we get back to the Estate, the first thing I'll do is check the inventory log and replace every last one of them..." He pulls back slightly to give Bella a soft look, "Ok?"

She sniffles, looking up at him, and nods. She blushes slightly when Zan gently thumbs away her tears. She then puts the empty pouches on, having accepted both the gain and the loss. Lyla takes a step closer and touches Bella's arm, as she also consoles, "I'm sorry, Bella..."

Teresa has a frustrated and irritated look, and adds, "Me too. We'll make them pay for this!"

Chez Shay taps her shoulder agitatedly with her Gunbrella, looking off to the side, and mutters, "Well now I'm definitely gonna kick their asses when we find them."

Kira folds her arms, giving Chez Shay a snarky look, and remarks, "I didn't know you cared."

She snaps a glare at Kira and responds, "I'm PSYCHO, not HEARTLESS."

Bella focuses on regaining her composure, and looks around at everyone as she says, "Ok, so... We got our flying gear back. But for my wrench... That's a start." She looks at the droid, and it has calmed a little now that she has. It seems to "nod" at her, and she gives it a soft look.

Kira, still floating via her GravPack, grins again and twirls around in the air as she exclaims, "It's one HECK of a start! Getting this stuff back means our mobility has skyrocketed! We can actually take to the air to fight and keep away from those punch-happy thugs!"

Zan grabs his GravBoard, giving it a very pleased gaze, and adds, "And their ground-sliding Dark Thrusts will not work anymore either."

Teresa warily looks at the shelves she's floating between, and remarks, "It's kinda cramped to be flying around in here, though..."

Bridgette folds her arms and looks away. "I won't be doing any flying, thank you," she says with a huff.

Zan gives her a mildly distressed look and gently points out, "Bridgette, you need to at least get some practice in. We're probably going to have to do SOME flying. Like I said, the Interdimensional Static is not actually in this base, so we'll likely have to fly to the source at some point."

Bridgette gives him a stubborn frown, taps the ground with a foot a couple of times, and replies, "Well until we do, I'm keeping my feet on the ground."

Chez Shay passes a nosy look between the two as she inquires, "Is there something I should know?"

Kira, with a smirk, states, "Bridgette can't fly our GravBoards very well. She keeps falling off."

Bridgette's eye twitches, and she shrieks, "You don't have to be so freakin' BLUNT!"

Kira closes her eyes, maintaining her smug expression, and responds, "It is what it is."

Chez Shay is now giving Bridgette a scary grin, and says, "You could always ride with me on my vacuum cleaner again."

Bridgette gives her a dreadful look and is quick to reply, "You fly like the maniac that you are! I'd rather use the GravBoard!"

Chez Shay holds a hand out, palm up, gesturing toward Bridgette while looking at the others, and states, "Problem solved." Some of them chuckle, while Bridgette groans.

Teresa, happy again, floats close to Zan and eagerly inquires, "So, master! Anything else of ours in this messy, oversized closet?"

Zan hums in curiosity, checks his scans for a moment, then grimaces and answers, "...No. That's it. Guess they deemed our flight gear unremarkable or something. But I tell you, I am REALLY glad to have them back!" He lays his GravBoard out in the air, hops onto it, and floats for a few moments beside Teresa. They grin at each other.

They spread out again to check more of the storage chamber, some of them using their flight gear to check out-of-reach containers, but find nothing else of value to them. Men's clothing, droid parts, repair tools, structure components... Everything one would expect to find in a military base's storage room, minus weapons. The group gathers at the opposite end of the storage room from where they came in, where there is another door. It, too, is locked, and has a terminal next to it. Bella gives it a look, and calmly announces, "Alright, time for the next stage of this infiltration." Having picked up the routine, the Shield Drone floats up to her, and she gives it a gentle look as she compliments, "You're doing a good job, little droid. Please open this door too!"

The droid turns, and fires a particle beam at the receptor by the terminal like before. As they wait and watch, Lyla holds a finger to her mouth as she muses, "I wonder what we'll find in the next room?"

Zan looks at her, then back at the storage room, and answers, "If this base is truly nest shaped, we'll probably see another corridor, because that would be the only efficient way of getting around to the other sections of the base. So, everyone be ready for anything."

They nod, and wait. Shortly, the red light over the door turns green. The door hisses open.

Suddenly all the lights in the storage room and the corridor ahead brighten to full intensity, and an alarm starts to sound. The light over the door turns red again, now flashing brightly. The droid seems surprised by all of this. Teresa practically jumps out of her skin, her pigtails bristling wildly, and she yelps, "WHA-WHA-WHAT?! What happened?!"

Lyla is also frightened by the sudden change of atmosphere, and shrieks, "EEK! What's going on?!"

Zan urgently scans the terminal, and realizes that, somehow, they had already been detected, and once the Shield Drone, now registered as an infiltrator, opened the door, it had tripped a security system. He grits his teeth, the Urgency Icon forming in his cybernetic eye, and he shouts, "Blast! They knew we were here after all! We just tripped a security system! There goes our stealth!"

Chez Shay, however, has wide eyes of violent insanity as she declares, "OKAAAY THEN! IT'S SHOOTIN' TIME!" "OPEN FIIIRRRE!" The Beast roars wildly. Before the others can say or do anything, Chez Shay opens fire back on the storage chamber, her bullets ripping through containers, and The Beast's missiles causing blasts. Numerous containers explode for some reason, and fires quickly start up.

Kira grabs Chez Shay to try and restrain her, and snarls, "CHEZ SHAY YOU IDIOT!" Chez Shay throws a monstrous glare at her.

However, before they can start an argument, Bella speaks up, with an ominous tone and a subtle little smirk, "Actually, we might as well go ahead and start destroying things. If they know we're here, we don't need to be subtle anymore."

Kira grunts, and gives Chez Shay a look. She's grinning, and Kira slowly forms a big, toothy grin of her own, which only excites Chez Shay moreso.  
"Fine by me, then," Kira responds, causing Chez Shay to belt a mad laugh.

Bridgette, Zan and Teresa give each other determined looks, and nod. Everyone draws their weapons, and the Shield Drone powers up its blaster and activates its frontal force field. But the next instant, they yelp when one particular container explodes extremely violently when one of The Beast's missiles strikes it, launching other containers in every direction and knocking over a number of the self-standing shelves. The storage vault becomes filled with flames. The group hurries through the doorway to get out of the burning room, charging into the inner corridor.

The door shuts and locks the moment they enter the inner corridor. The lights are bright now, making everything more clearly visible, and revealing that the walls themselves are colored a midnight blue, which explains the darkness of the place before. This corridor is like a shrunken version of the outer corridor, being more sharply curved to form a ninety-degree angle. They can already see the two other doorways, also blocked by energy barriers. They flinch upon also seeing a man, standing right there next to where they come to a stop after evacuating the burning storage room. Lyla yelps out of instinct on seeing him. A tall man, he stands proud, with his dark complexion, short hair and dark suit, identical to the one Bella saw the man of her vision wearing, his muscular body is intimidating to the girls.

Everyone instantly aims their weapons at him, but for Zan, who just gives the man a dark look. Lyla becomes afraid quickly, Teresa becomes nervous and stays close to Zan, holding her GravBoard against her chest. The man gives them a quiet look over, but they can tell he is not friendly.

After a second of the two staring at each other, Zan finally speaks up, "...Zero... I was wondering if we would encounter any NESTS officials once we got here."

Zero replies with a soft, manly voice reeking of pride, "Byzantian Fandango. I see you still prefer the company of women."

Bridgette, quietly, hissingly, whispers, "Zan... Who is this..?"

Zan looks at his companions, while gesturing toward the man, and introduces him, "This is Zero, one of the strongest officials of NESTS. We go a ways back, since I've encountered NESTS before even you joined the Entourage."

Zero arches an eyebrow with a subtle look of disdain as he inquires disinterestedly, "How IS your Entourage doing, by the way?"

Zan focuses his attention on Zero again as he responds, "Irrelevant. We've come to stop you from taking over Eihemland."

Bella, staring at the man in fear, suddenly grunts when she snaps back to awareness with a flinch, and proclaims, "R-right! You won't be allowed to take over my home realm and oppress the people any longer! We're going to get our stuff back, drive you out of the realm, and stop your interdimensional exploitation!"

Zero forms a scary, but only very slight smirk, yet remains completely cool-headed as he speaks, "Oh that's not going to happen I'm afraid. My leaders wouldn't be very pleased with me if I let a bunch of children get away with thwarting our affairs. I will admit, however, that you have done a remarkable job of eluding your captors. You are very fortunate, actually. They had orders to hunt you down, capture you, and bring you here for execution, or kill you on the spot, should you resist. We can't have the infamous 'Amethytus Estate' meddling in our multiversal conquest."

The girls are horrified to see the level of sheer confidence Zero has, as well as his perfect contentment to tell them they were to be killed if they had been caught. Chez Shay lets out a vicious snarl, and sprays bullets at Zero, only to flinch when he warps himself to the side in the blink of an eye using Void energy to dodge the attack, despite it being a sudden one. He lets out a soft chuckle, and lunges forward to grab Bella, only for Zan to drop his heel down on Zero's arm and stop his attack attempt. Zero gives Zan a passive look, and becomes mildly put off by the seething look on Zan's face, with the Fury Icon in his cybernetic eye. Zan knows they are now about to fight this dangerously powerful man. A muffled explosion from the closed-off storage chamber echoes into the corridor. Zan, with a very dark look and in a very dark tone, growls, "I promise you, Zero, if you use those blades on your cape to cut any of my women, I will be sure to pay you back with twice as much pain for every - single - wound."

Zero just lets out a soft chuckle and warps back away from Zan. The girls now notice this feature of his outfit. All along the fringe of the half-cape that hangs from the top of his waist down and is wide enough to nearly enclose his legs like a skirt, are large, curved, razor sharp blades. Lyla, Teresa and Sasha become terrified at the sight. Zero gestures around the small corridor, and responds with clear haughty amusement, "You would fight me? Here? Without your precious gear?"

Zan holds a fighting stance, and carefully replies, "If we have to."

Bella points her gun at him dramatically as she adds, "We'll fight you FOR our gear!"

Zero folds his arms, and coolly taunts, "Very well then. Feel the terror of being crushed by the power of NESTS."

He immediately comes under fire by the group, who don't give him a chance to show them such terror and accept his taunt as a declaration of battle's beginning. Zan, Bella, Kira and Chez Shay fire their guns for a storm of projectiles, added to by the shots from the Shield Drone, which is keeping its shield aimed at Zero. Chez Shay also hops aboard her vacuum cleaner to gain the mobility of flight, and never lets Zero get near her. Bridgette casts forth Charged Bolts. Teresa hops onto her GravBoard to stay back, very afraid of the blades on Zero's cape. She tries to focus her power. Lyla is also very afraid, but remembers her promise to be brave, so she takes out a Skill Card depicting an arrow-shaped bolt of energy: the Arrow Card. While she had said she doesn't care for this particular card, she does understand its usefulness when dealing with singular opponents. She activates it, converting her shots into focused, sharp-pointed projectiles of energy, which she starts firing with her Tambourines. Sasha and The Beast also launch their projectiles. Zero warps about, moving quickly toward the group while dodging most of their attacks, which punch into the walls of the corridor instead. Some of Zan's Pulse Rifle shots and Chez Shay's bullets hit him mid-warping, but he seemingly ignores these hits. He also ignores being zapped by a Charged Bolt, and reaches Zan, where he performs a powerful uppercut, smacking Zan clean in the chin and sending him flying up and over the group. With shrieks, the girls back away from Zero while still firing their weapons. Zan lands on his back, flips to his feet, and marches toward Zero while still firing his Pulse Rifle.

Zero lunges toward Bridgette, who, with wide eyes and gritted teeth, thrusts a hand to fire a Lightning bolt. Zero grips his cape and sweeps it up in front of himself, striking the Lightning bolt and dispersing it, which also deflects all of the projectiles coming at him from other directions, scattering them to the walls. He sweeps the cape around and down, like a whip, to return it to its passive state, then thrusts a hand palm forward toward Bridgette, generating a burst of energy that throws her against a wall with a pained grunt. She climbs to her feet. Bella focuses her Compression Phaser Rifle's stream fire mode on Zero, but he warps out of that spot the next moment, reappearing in the air over Bella, causing her to shriek. He attempts to bring his elbow down on her head, but a missile from The Beast knocks him out of the attack, and he lands beside Bella. He promptly makes up for this by sweeping a leg to bring Bella's feet out from under her, and she cries out when she is punched the next moment and sent flying. Zan, with an angered yell, leaps at Zero to strike him with his Pulse Rifle in melee. Zero parries the attack, and throws another uppercut, but Zan tilts his head back to avoid it. Zero has to warp out of place again because of the storm of projectiles.

Lyla hurries over to Bella, who climbs to her feet looking very pained. She reminds Bella of her Health Potion, so she takes it out to use it, stopping the pain immediately. Zero warps up next to Teresa, who shrieks, backs away quickly, and creates a Tar Pit beneath him. He yelps when he falls in, and Teresa gets a look of confidence. It quickly passes, however, when Zero, after taking a second to assess what just happened, simply warps out of the pit. He reappears next to Teresa and throws a flying kick, but Teresa, shrieking yet again, performs a shuttle-loop with her GravBoard to dodge, and promptly flees from Zero. One of Sasha's bombs pops him, making him flinch, and he warps from that spot again, reappearing right by Lyla and Bella. Lyla squeals when Zero slams his foot into her chest, but a burst of mystic energy from her body deflects the attack. She jumps back, and shakes her Tambourines at him. Instead of the Arrow shots however, she sprays her normal, wood-like shots. She does not react as though this were a surprise to her, but rather, seems to know why.

And this reminds Bella and Chez Shay of why. When a Skill Card is active, and the user takes a hit, the Skill Card effect is instantly dispersed in exchage for neutralizing the strike. Both of them decide to make use of this, and take out Skill Cards of their own, changing their attacks to Arrow and Spear shots respectively, which they know are good for single targets. Zero shields himself from the volley of attacks with his arms, and warps again to avoid more projectiles, but when he reappears, right next to Zan, he gets smacked across the back of the head by Zan's gun, and starts taking shots from everyone. He swings a fist up to strike Zan in the face, but he parries the attack with his gun and kicks Zero in the side. Teresa continues to focus her power, deciding what to do next. Kira, using her GravPack to float in the air, endlessly fires her gun, and keeps facing the enemy while using her aerial mobility to keep a moderate distance from him. The Shield Drone floats around as well, firing its yellow energy bolts at the enemy. Zero is being pelted by these shots, and forms a mild grimace. "You fight without honor, attacking all at once against a single enemy," he chastises.

Kira's anger flares for some reason, and she exclaims, "HONOR?! Screw that! We're attacking all at once because YOU STOLE OUR STUFF! And it's CLEAR you're ridiculously powerful, so I'd call this a balanced fight!"

Zero forms a mildly smug look when she points out his level of power, and he responds, "...Indeed. But nevertheless..." He turns his back on the group, and with eyes closed, calls out in a firm tone, "Come forth, Glaugan, and support me."

A black portal opens briefly enough for a large, jet black, male lion, to leap from it. It lands, and roars, before promptly lunging at Kira to slash at her with its claws. She simply backs up quickly, a frightened look on her face for the moment. Bella stops firing at Zero when she sees the lion, and her eyes widen greatly, then become starry. Zan does not hesitate to attack Zero again, shoving the barrel of his gun into Zero's back and firing a shot. Zero finally emits a grunt of pain, and warps away from Zan. Suddenly, Bella lets out a scream. One of delight. It catches the others off guard. She rushes over to the great, black lion, as she squeals in sheer delight, "WAAAAH! What a BEAUTIFUL KITTY!" She drops to her knees and clutches his muzzle to look him over and feel his fur.

Glaugan flinches, and gives her a strange look as she promptly pets his head, fawning over the massive animal. Zero stops what he's doing as well and gives Bella the strangest look. The others form highly amused expressions. Bella chatters with extreme pleasure, "PRETTY KITTY! PRETTY KITTY! I love you! Glaugan was your name?"

The lion slowly nods. It then yowls when it gets blasted by a missile from The Beast, and leaps away from Bella. She looks saddened by his having to retreat from her. Zero maintains his stare on Bella for a moment, and comments in genuine confusion, "...What a strange distraction technique."

Zan, keeping his Pulse Rifle aimed at Zero, calmly replies with a touch of love for Bella, "'Distraction technique' nothing. Bella's just THAT big on cats." He fires his gun, but Zero dodges the shots.

He reappears elsewhere in the corridor, and gives Zan that same look of confusion as he comments, "You share strange company, Fandango." Zan just smirks, but the look deep in his eyes indicates that he has great love for this "strange company".

The fight rages on. The group now has to split up their focus between two dangerous targets, firing their projectiles at Zero and Glaugan, with Zan, Bella, the Shield Drone, Lyla and Sasha mostly focusing on Zero, while Chez Shay, The Beast and Kira mostly focus on Glaugan, all of them occasionally turning their attention to the other target when the need arises. Teresa focuses on Zero too, but waits for openings to use a skill when she has enough power charged up. Bridgette just attacks indiscriminately with her Voltage, and fills the air with Charged Bolts that Zero and Glaugan try to avoid. Zan tries to keep close to Zero, and leaps at him, thrusting a knee as he does, but Zero blocks the attack with his cape, then swipes it to slash Zan with the blades. Zan yelps in pain, frightening the girls, and Teresa reacts by thrusting a hand, causing a skeletal hand to pop up from the ground and grab Zero's ankle. He flinches when this happens, and gets shot by Spear shots from an enraged Chez Shay while struggling to pull free from the surprisingly strong grip. Zan gets up, his Cybranites darting about to repair the cut wounds, and takes advantage of this vulnerability to smash his foot into Zero's face, forcing him to warp away, resulting in the destruction of the Bone Hand.

Bridgette, also enraged, raises her arms, charging them with Voltage, but gets pounced on by Glaugan. She screams in fright as the lion goes to bite her neck, but it is interrupted when it is blasted by another missile from The Beast, shot by bullets from Kira, and gets zapped by an electric surge from the terrorized Bridgette, leaping off of her in reaction. The Beast cackles at it, and Glaugan roars at him. He roars right back, and throws another missile, which Glaugan deflects with a swing of his paw, sending the missile against a wall and blasting a hole in it, from which sparks start flying. The Beast, undeterred, keeps flinging missiles, and Chez Shay, Kira, Lyla and Sasha launch more projectiles at him, the latter two due to proximity. Finding her normal shots to be ineffective, Lyla stops for a moment, takes out another skill card, and activates it to start firing Wave shots. Glaugan leaps about to avoid the attacks, and lands in front of Bella. It raises a paw to slash her, but hesitates on seeing her loving eyes. It just stares at her, slowly lowering the paw, then gets shot by the others, and leaps away.

Bella turns to keep shooting at Zero instead, her Shield Drone also lending supporting fire, though its shots are very ineffective against the powerful opponents. Zero, having reappeared near Bella after being kicked by Zan, charges toward her in response to her shooting him. In a brief panic, Bella, knowing that her last Skill Card has since worn off, pulls out a Roll Card and activates it just in time before Zero hops into the air, straightening out his body horizontally, while spinning, causing his cape to turn into a huge, bladed disc; a move he calls "Cutting Swallow". Zan's eyes widen in horror, but the flash of Bella's Skill Card promptly disengaging to deflect the attack and repel Zero relieves him. Bella literally runs away from Zero, her Shield Drone backing up from Zero along side her and shooting at him. She turns and starts shooting at him again when he becomes distracted by a blast of Lightning from Bridgette, shots from the Shield Drone, and a bomb from Sasha. He leaps through the air and attempts to bring a fist down on Sasha, but her tiny size, combined with a quick sideways movement allows her to easily evade the attack, and she pops him with another bomb for his efforts. Lyla continues to fire Wave shots at Zero, but squeals and runs away from him when he leaps at her for a flying kick that misses.

Glaugan leaps and slashes at The Beast repeatedly, but The Beast keeps dodging and cackling and flinging missiles, seemingly goading the animal into focusing on him. Chez Shay adds to the damage with her own shots, eyes widened and grinning a huge, sharp-toothed grin with excitement over the battle against the powerful enemies. Bella continues to shoot at Zero, refusing to turn her weapon on Glaugan. Glaugan, likewise, never attacks Bella whenever he has an opportunity. He instead keeps attacking The Beast, occasionally attempting to slash Chez Shay or Kira, but they are able to easily keep their distance with their methods of flight.

Zan leaps at Zero for his own flying kick, but Zero grabs Zan's leg and flings him over himself, right into Lyla, and the two fly back, also crashing into Teresa, the three forming a pile against the wall. They groan, but quickly climb up. Bridgette starts building massive Volt energy. Zero takes this opening to lunge toward Bella, who yelps, and tries to bring out another Skill Card, but fumbles before she can activate it. Zero closes in, readying a mighty strike, and Bella squeals in terror. She instinctively closes her eyes, and a crunch is heard. She feels no pain, but hears the others yelp. She opens her eyes, and sees that Zero has performed a high, reverse kick that was aimed for Bella's head, only for it to strike the Shield Drone instead. His foot pierced clean through the droid's shield, and has smashed into its face, totaling the droid. It lets out a few sparks, and continues to hover in the air for a moment. Zero warps away, and stops for a second. The droid crackles, lets out a whine, and drops to the floor to break apart. Tears form in the corners of Bella's eyes. Teresa, Lyla and Zan also become upset. "Awww..." Teresa reacts sadly, her pigtails sagging.

Kira's eyes widen, and one twitches. She shouts, "...DAMMIT!" and changes her attention back toward Zero, forcing him to defend himself from the shots of her FN-P90.

Bella drops into a splay-legged sitting position, looking at the droid, which sacrificed itself to save her, and her tears start to flow. Bridgette, furious, releases a Nova, hitting both Zero and Glaugan and causing them to yelp from the powerful attack that also damages the entire corridor to some extent. Teresa scrambles back on to her GravBoard, and Lyla sniffles a little from the loss. Sasha moves close and she and Lyla exchange sad looks. Zan leaps at Zero with a yell and attempts to clobber him with his gun, but Zero warps away to avoid. Kira keeps shooting at him. Chez Shay, extremely excited, continues to shoot at Glaugan along with The Beast, while everyone else changes their attention entirely to Zero.

Bella stays seated, crying. Zan, relying on Kira's and Bridgette's attacking Zero to distract him, moves up close to her and kneels. He gently takes her hand, and she looks at him with tear-filled eyes. He has the Determination Icon in his cybernetic eye, but he need not say anything. Bella knows what he wants, and she wipes her tears away. She climbs to her feet, a stern look taking over her face, and she and Zan face Zero as he warps again to avoid a Lightning bolt from Bridgette. They both charge at Zero. Teresa, their determination bolstering her confidence, starts charging power again. Lyla and Sasha turn their attention toward Glaugan, seeing that Zero is about to become heavily preoccupied. Zan and Bella launch into a direct assault, surprising Zero with their vengeful aggression. Zan swings his gun to strike Zero's arm, causing him to jolt. Bella swipes a hand upward, creating a slash of Light that strikes Zero and makes him jolt again. He blocks a barrel shove from Zan, only to be slashed horizontally across the chest by Bella. He blocks a follow-up vertical slash with crossed arms, only to be kicked in the side by Zan. He blocks a follow-up roundhouse kick from Zan, as well as a double, downward slash from Bella, only to be shot by Kira as she moves in to join their assault. He throws a hard downward punch at Bella, but Zan and Kira interfere by shooting him in that arm, and he grunts when he is also blasted by a bolt of Lightning from Bridgette. He flinches when Zan grabs him, and slams the metallic half of his forehead into Zero's forehead, causing him to stagger back.

Suddenly a bunch of red runes form in the air over him, and swirls of red energy start flowing about around him. Zan, Bella, Kira and Bridgette grin, knowing that Teresa has just hit him with Amplify Damage, though he isn't aware of what's happened just yet. Teresa, also grinning, observes the results. Zero blocks another Light Slash from Bella, only to be clubbed over the head by Zan's Pulse Rifle, and feels an extra amount of pain. He realizes immediately that he has been affected by a status condition, and becomes mildly concerned. He throws a hard punch, but Zan grabs the arm, and Bella blasts him with a Cat Bullet, which causes a burst immediately since it was used point blank, and Zero grunts in pain. He gets shot by both Kira and Bridgette's projectiles afterward, and feels the double damage causing surging pain. He flings Zan straight up, and his head hits the corridor ceiling, leaving a big dent. Zan drops to the ground and Bella yelps. Zan promptly gets to his feet, in time to see, with horror, as Zero lunges at Kira. She scowls as she fires her gun, but Zero sweeps out his cape to deflect the bullets. Kira backs up, only to run against Bridgette and make her stagger back. Kira looks back to see what she ran into, then lets out a blood-curdling scream when Zero sweeps his cape out a second time, slashing her diagonally across her torso, cutting deeply into her and releasing blood. She flies backward in an out-of-control reaction, her scream catching everyone's attention, and slams against a wall. The others react with horror as she lets out a harsh wail of pain, and Zan's cybernetic eye shifts to the Rage Icon. With a ferocious snarl, Zan leaps at Zero, who turns around in time to be smashed across the face with the barrel of Zan's gun. He roars at the top of his lungs, "WHAT DID I TELL YOU?! HUH?! WHAT DID I TELL YOU?!"

Zan slams the butt of his gun into Zero's gut, the Amplify Damage effect increasing the pain of the hits. Zan shoots Zero three times in the chest with the gun's barrel, then proceeds to thrust his free hand forward, and stabs all five point-tipped crystalline metal bone fingers into Zero's right shoulder, causing him to yelp rather hard. Glaugan attempts to help his master, but The Beast gets in his face, shakes his head tauntingly, and blasts the lion in the face with a missile, while Sasha and Chez Shay continue to harry the animal with their projectiles. Meanwhile, Bridgette, Teresa and Lyla rush over to the bleeding Kira, and help her to her feet. Lyla shakily takes out a Health Potion, and has Kira drink it while the other two hold her up. After a moment, the bleeding stops, and the wound closes up after a few more seconds. Kira still pants, recovering from the shock, and Bridgette, very angry, turns back to help Zan and Bella continue their assault on Zero.

Kira shortly becomes enraged, especially when she sees the huge tear in her suit, rises into the air, and continues her attack as well, spraying bullets at Zero. Teresa gets back on her GravBoard to support them. Zero manages to throw Zan off of him with a foot shove, and sweeps his cape out, attempting to slash Zan, but a short, backwards hop avoids the attack. Zan counters with Pulse Rifle shots during the opening Zero creates as he goes through the required motions of returning his cape to himself, landing hits in the process. He jolts from the hits, then starts getting shot by Kira again, and has to warp to the side to avoid a pincer attack of Bella leaping at him for a big double Light Slash and a Lightning bolt from Bridgette, which ends up hitting Bella, and causing her no harm. Zero warps himself near Zan, suddenly lets out a mild shout, and lashes his cape out again. Zan blocks the initial attack with his gun, but grits his teeth, his flesh eye closed in strain, as Zero rapidly follows this up with three quick Cutting Swallows in succession. The third hit, striking twice as hard as the first two, cuts Zan's Pulse Rifle in half, and causes the Alarm Icon to form in his cybernetic eye. Bridgette's mouth falls open as she gasps, Kira can't grit her teeth any harder, and Teresa lets out a terrible little yelp. These reactions catch the attention of the others. Zan blinks twice, then puts the two halves of the Pulse Rifle back together and takes the opening that Zero leaves himself in after the powerful combo to repair the weapon. The moment he finishes, he shoots Zero in the stab wound he inflicted on his shoulder, likely just to taunt him. Zero yelps again. Amplify Damage finally wears off a second later. Kira promptly resumes shooting at Zero, but watches Zan curiously for a moment, and comments, "...I could have sworn Zan was going to completely flip out over that."

Bridgette forms a smirk as she casts a Lightning bolt at Zero, and replies, "He cares more about us than his own things, Kira..." Kira lets out a soft grunt of acknowledgement.

Glaugan has had enough. He takes one more missile blast from The Beast, and decides he needs to retreat. He runs from them, causing The Beast to cackle and give chase. Glaugan pounces on Bella, who is in his way. She yelps as she's brought to the ground, but looks up at the lion, admiration quickly taking over her face. He is about to bite her neck, but seeing her gazing eyes stops him. Getting shot by Lightning from Bridgette, a bomb from Sasha and Wave shots from Lyla, he jumps off of Bella and runs forward a short distance. Another portal opens, and Glaugan jumps in, leaving the area. Zero realizes at this point, he's not going to win by fighting entirely by himself. He frowns, backing up a little as the group clusters together, aiming weapons and attack skills at him. He takes a brief look at the stab wounds in his shoulder, seeing the blood escaping, and with a huff, he starts warping backwards away from them. They become excited, realizing that Zero is retreating as well. This sends their morale through the roof, and they give chase. Zero stops for a moment, keeping his face toward the group. He comes to a stop at the energy barrier separating the southeastern quarter of the inner corridor, now completely ruined by the battle, from the southwestern, and rests a hand on it. The barrier shuts off, and he resumes warping away from the group. They keep chasing, Zan, Kira and Chez Shay shooting at him as they do. Chez Shay is madly laughing, The Beast is snarling wildly, Kira is grinning ear to ear, Teresa, Bella and Bridgette are smirking, Lyla is astonished, Sasha is feeling joyous, and Zan has the Determination Icon in his cybernetic eye. Zero ends his fleeing in front of the door on the outer wall of the southwestern corridor's center. He rests a hand on a scanner on the terminal beside it, and the door immediately opens for him. He steps in front of the doorway, gets shot by Zan, and jolts. To their unnerved surprise, he proceeds to raise a hand and give them a "bring-it" gesture, grinning for just a second. He then warps into the room the door leads to, and the group charges through it after him.

The group storms into a laboratory. Set up within another quarter-circle shaped chamber that is just as wide, it is just about as intricately loaded with the tools and equipment of science as one would expect, including tables of chemistry sets, large stasis cells with vaguely human-shaped masses of biomatter, analysis machines holding various items unique to Eihemland, and a couple of large refrigeration units. The lab is also occupied by a dozen scientists. All of them are wearing light blue lab coats, half of them are wearing glasses, and at least two thirds of them look about as tough as the Kyo clones. The moment the group bursts into the lab, the scientists freeze and stare at them, while Bella's group pauses for a moment to look around the lab. Kira quickly becomes distracted, having found herself in her element once again, and remarks, "Whoa... What a set-up they have. It ALMOST rivals ours." She gives Zan a smug look, and he sniffs in amusement.

Teresa notices the creepy biomatter container, and fearfully inquires, "What is that... thing, in that container?"

Bridgette, noticing many other experiments that would never be performed at the Amethytus Estate, and replies just as fearfully, "I get the feeling the things they do here are more unethical than what Zan would allow at our lab."

Among the scientists is one who is wearing a monocle that is clearly made of higher technology than a simple eyesight improvement accessory. He has immediately become terrified, and when Zero warps close to him, he blurts, "Zero?! What were you thinking?! How could you lead the intruders right here?! Dantalion is going to have a fit if he finds out this lab's been demolished!"

Zero gives him a calm but firm glare, and responds, "You need to learn your place."

The Monocle Scientist is clearly more afraid of Bella's group than his own boss, and fretfully complains, "Don't give me that rank crap! I'm a SCIENTIST, not a security officer!"

Another scientist, with an extremely gaunt complexion and just a tinge of green to his skin color, has placed a hand on his chin, giving the group a very unnerving look. He speaks in a soulless tone, "Actually, it might be interesting to test some of our tools on living specimens." The thoughts of possible results brings out a grin on his sickly face that sends chills down the girls' spines.

Two of the scientists, including the one wearing the monocle, just panic, sensing that a lab-ruining fight is about to break out, and flee the lab immediately. The others dash toward items in the lab, and grab them. Zero gives Bella's group a sinister look of amusement. Zan realizes at this point that they now have a batch of enemies to fight along with Zero, and suddenly shouts, "Careful!"

The group scatters when a flimsy-looking scientist with a mullet, who has grabbed a cart of vials, chucks one at them, and it explodes in a greenish-yellow blast. The group immediately engages the foes in the lab. Zan goes straight for Zero again, having not forgiven him for the wound he inflicted on Kira. He leaps at him while firing his Pulse Rifle. Zero flares his cape to deflect the shots, but does not hit Zan, who throws a flying kick at the end of his approach jump and hits Zero in the chest, staggering him back. Zan is zapped by a current of electricity immediately after and yelps. He looks at the source, and sees a scientist with jamjar glasses and bowl-cut hair wielding an Arc-Welder, a tool that fires concentrated bolts of electricity. Zan shoots at the Jamjar Scientist, who jumps out of the way of the shots. Zan gets slammed in the side by Zero's fist, and grunts in pain. He slams the butt of his rifle down onto Zero's head, and he hunches down in automatic reaction, where Zan roundhouse kicks him and sends him flying into a chemistry table, demolishing it and covering Zero in chemicals. He quickly hops into the air, spinning, to throw the chemicals off, and Zan jumps out of range of the spray. He gets zapped again, and jolts. He leaps at the Jamjar Scientist, who yelps in shock at the sudden approach, and Zan grabs him. He flips the man over himself and slams him to the floor, then grabs his Arc-Welder and zaps the Jamjar Scientist with his own weapon, causing him to emit a surprisingly girly shriek. Zan loses focus when he tries not to laugh at this, and gets knocked over by a flying rush from Zero. The Jamjar Scientist looks at himself, watches a current of Voltage spark up his arm for a moment, and mumbles, "So that's what it feels like to be zapped by that thing. ...Crap, he still has a hold of it!" He scrambles to get to his feet again.

Bella rushes toward the Mullet Scientist, who is carrying more of the vials he threw at the group via the holster cart. He throws another one, but Bella dodges the blast. He throws a second one, but Bella catches it and throws it right back. He panics and starts running around as Bella flings it at him, and the blast sends him flying against a huge glass container, putting cracks in it. He groans, having managed to keep hold of the vial cart, and shrieks when Bella shoots him with her Compression Phaser Rifle. He scurries around the container to take cover and throws another vial at Bella. The blast from this one emits a foul-smelling, eye-burning smoke. Bella starts coughing, immediately having difficulty seeing. The Mullet Scientist grins and comes around to attack her. While still coughing and only looking through one, watery, squinting eye, she points a finger at him, and generates a blinding flash of Light. The Mullet Scientist yelps, and now they're both blind for the moment. They stagger around until they find each other, and start smacking each other. The mullet scientist flails his arms, but reacts as he takes hits, "Ow!", smack, "Ouch!" smack, "NARF!"

Chez Shay, still on her vacuum cleaner, zooms toward a bald scientist wearing dainty, round glasses that reflect the lab's lights almost as much as his baby-smooth head skin. He starts to flee immediately. She shoots at him all along the way, damaging everything else in the path. She stops, however, when she sees the Reflective Scientist clamber up into a small, two-armed crane. The moment it activates, it lashes out with astonishing speed and grabs Chez Shay, causing her to yelp, and her vacuum cleaner disappears. She growls and struggles as the Reflective Scientist grins, his glasses glinting to the point his eyes aren't visible, and a glint of light crosses his head. He uses the other arm of the crane to punch Chez Shay a couple of times, and she shrieks in pain and anger. He has the crane throw her to the floor with strong force, then brings both grapplers together to slam down on her. Just before they do, however, she activates a Skill Card, and the moment the grapplers hit her, the Skill Card disperses and neutralizes the attack with a burst of energy. The Reflective Scientist tilts his head quizzically at the sight of it, and muses out loud, "Is... Is THAT the mysterious Defensive Capability of the Skill Card? Why couldn't we trigger it?"

Bridgette finds herself facing the Green Scientist, who is exuding one of the strongest sensations of amoral scientific intent. He has picked up some kind of gun-like weapon loaded with colorful canisters. Bridgette immediately feels alarmed, and flings a Lightning bolt at him. He transports to the side, surprising Bridgette when she sees that he must have Kinetic powers too. She casts a Chain Lightning bolt, which he dodges, but it strikes a piece of equipment and arcs right back at him him from behind. He yelps, staggering forward, and growls at her, before firing the gun. Bridgette desperately throws herself to the side when she sees the weapon spewing acid her way. It starts eating at the floor and the standalone computer behind where she was, and the computer quickly starts sparking and bursts into flames. Bridgette gives the computer, then the scientist a horrified look, which is worsened by his chuckling little grin. Bridgette jumps to her feet, glowering, and shifts elements to throw a Fireball. He again dodges, and the Fireball blasts and destroys a mass spectrometer behind him. He looks back at the damage, then back toward Bridgette and casually comments, "Ohh, so you're a dual-elemental wielder. Well that's just fine." He changes gears on his gun, and Bridgette keeps a sharp eye on him.

Sasha comes under attack immediately when the biggest and most buff of the scientists leaps at her, having equipped a large cybernetic gauntlet. She evades to the side to avoid as he slams the fist down to the ground, putting a cracked dent in it and making objects on nearby tables bounce, several of which fall off platforms and break on the floor. Sasha counters with a bomb that pops him in the side. He glowers at her and swings the fist at her. She rises up to avoid it, and the swing creates a small blast in the air that sends a large purple glass container flying into another one and destroys them both. Sasha pops him in the face with a bomb, and he snarls. He reaches up suddenly with his normal hand and grabs her. He brings her close and bellows, "WHAT ARE YOU?!" Sasha stares at him fearfully, but also in shock, and quietly replies, "...A genie turtle." "NO SUCH THING!" the Buff Scientist blurts, and throws her against a wall. She yelps as her oil lamp shell bounces off of it, but she seems undisturbed otherwise.

Teresa, staying on her GravBoard, yelps when an invisible wave of energy hits her in the gut, making her feel like she was punched. She sees a Giggling Scientist wielding what looks like an overly-decorated megaphone. He aims it, and fires another invisible blast of Sonic energy, but Teresa dodges it and swoops at him. He fires again, and she again dodges with a shuttle-loop, then clocks him in the head with her GravBoard on the descent. The overly excited scientist with strange, aquamarine hair done in a beehive do, chortles, "Hoo hoo hoo! Impressive flying little lady!"

Teresa gives him an unnerved look, and tries to focus her energies. But the Giggling Scientist starts chattering, and it keeps her from being able to focus. As he yammers, he keeps firing Sonic blasts, "Aren't you the notorious little waif that's been flinging tar all over the place? Fascinating! Simply fascinating! What sort of ingredients are in your substances that make them SO flammable they instantly ignite when exposed to heat? What kind of control do you use to create holes in the ground filled with tar? What realm do you come from?"

Teresa dodges the shots as much as she can, but her eye twitches at the grating sound of his voice, and she responds, "Ergh... Shut up, you motor mouth!" His voice annoys her so much she can't concentrate, and she yelps when she is shot by the Sonic gun of the Giggling Scientist.

He doesn't stop firing the Sonic gun either, as he blabbers, "Fascinating! So fascinating! Sir Dantalion would just LOVE to meet you! Heck, I'm GLAD to have met you!"

Teresa gives him an angry, but unsettled look, and replies, "...You're creeping me out!" She leans back to dodge a Sonic pulse, and complains, "Stop that! I can't concentrate!"

The Giggling Scientist breaks into a loud laugh for a moment while firing another shot, and he blathers, "EXACTLY! You need to focus to use your powers, don't you?! I figured talking would work great to mess with your concentration! And I love talking anyway! So tell me, cute little tar witch! Tell me all about your powers!"

Teresa's eye twitches again, and she shrieks back with an angry gesture, "If you'd SHUT UP, I would SHOW you!" She yelps when a Sonic blast hits her in the shoulder and nearly throws her off of her GravBoard.

The Beast spots one particular scientist who stands out from the rest with his slender, lithe frame, and the fact that he's the only one wearing sunglasses. He has equipped a pair of slender, sleek cybernetic gauntlets. He first holds his arms up in front of his face, hands clutched into fists, and swipes the arms out and down in a dynamic gesture. The Beast narrows an eye. The Cool Scientist proceeds to throw some extremely rapid punches in the air, sending shockwaves of air toward The Beast. He grins and just moves sideways to avoid these airwaves. The Cool Scientist continues to machine-gun punch in The Beast's direction, and The Beast makes an impressed sneer as he swoops about to dodge the air projectiles. He throws a missile at the Cool Scientist, but he punches into the air at it, sending an airwave that pushes the missile off course, and it flies into the ceiling to explode and leave a blast mark and cracks. The Beast swerves and darts to avoid the airwaves, while the Cool Scientist keeps throwing punches. The Beast shortly notices, however, that the man is draining his stamina to do this, and drags it out by just dodging around. Eventually the Cool Scientist has to stop, and starts panting. The Beast snarls with a scary grin as he rushes in at the enemy to attack with a missile. The Cool Scientist, however, throws another punch that pushes The Beast back and deflects this missile too, then leaps at him to try and punch him in the air directly. The Beast grabs his arm instead, and hangs on as the scientist starts flailing super-rapidly to try and shake him off. The Beast clings, emitting a steady, distorted yowl as he's shaken nearly to pieces, when suddenly the Cool Scientist's gauntlet malfunctions and the flailing speeds up. He yelps, and The Beast lets go, nearly being slammed into a table in the process. He watches as the Cool Scientist panics, unable to stop the gauntlets from flailing on their own. Their malfunction intensifies. The Cool Scientist looks at The Beast, and speaks with an impressively suave voice, "...Not cool, man."

The Beast snerks at the Cool Scientist, as his gauntlets malfunction even worse, casting off sparks, and finally shake themselves apart and send the scientist flying across the lab from the shockwave recoil of the shattering devices. He crashes down on a table, and is knocked unconscious. The Beast brings his paws up beside his mouth and barks, "LOSER." He chuckles softly, but then notices Chez Shay's situation, and darts off to help her.

Lyla finds herself facing a pair of grim-looking, very pale scientists with nearly soulless eyes, holding a pair of large orbs, one to each man. She trembles at the sight of their emotionless looks. They gesture with the orbs, and create a field of energy between them. They gesture again, and the field casts forth a copy of itself; essentially a flying energy wall. Lyla yelps as she jumps to the side to avoid the wall. The Twin Scientists fire another one, and Lyla scrambles to get out of the way. She shakes her Tambourines at them to spray wood shots, but they hold their orbs forward to create a wall that completely blocks the shots. Lyla grimaces, then yelps again when they cast that wall at her. She can't get out of the way in time as the wall slams into her, and pushes her back against a table, which she flips on to. The wall disperses, and she falls over the other side of the table. She climbs up, gritting her teeth in pain, then shrieks when she sees the Twin Scientists right in front of her on the other side of the table, seemingly having teleported to that spot as they got there unnaturally quickly and silently. They keep their dead-looking eyes fixed on her, as they create another wall, this one horizontal and directly above Lyla. It descends, and she jumps out of the way just barely in time. She watches in horror as the wall crushes the table flat. She keeps trembling at the sight of the zombie-like scientists, who say nothing, unlike the rest. She takes in the sight of them and their deathly palor, and tremblingly comments, "What... What is wrong with you two..?" They do not respond, and adjust their positions with rather ghostlike steps to prepare their next attack.

Kira, who still has the long tear up the front of her suit that does not expose anything significant, is glaring at a scientist who looks too much like a stereotypical nerd: Slightly hunched, with large square glasses, and a mild acne problem. He has equipped a bunch of different-colored bangles attached to each other by wires, which are connected to a pair of fine-looking neotech gloves. Kira aims her gun at him, and arrogantly states, "I have to admit, that this is a rather impressive lab."

The Nerd Scientist forms a smirk, revealing that he may be just as arrogant as she is, and replies, revealing that he sports a lisp, "Heh, thankth. I can tell that you are thmarter than you look."

Kira flinches, then glowers at both the insult and his speech impediment, and retorts, "At least I don't SOUND as stupid as you do! YOU are the type that gives intelligent people a bad reputation!"

The Nerd Scientist gestures dismissively with closed eyes and comments, "Hey, Albert Einthtein wathn't exthactly a calendar model."

Kira shoots at him with her FN-P90, but flinches when he punches a fist into a hand and creates an electric field around himself that stops the bullets in place. Kira resumes shooting, but the Nerd Scientist's field interferes with the shots. He runs toward her with a sputtering battle cry, and throws an Ice-empowered punch at Kira. She throws herself to the side to avoid it, and shoots at him still more. His field is starting to turn red, cluing Kira in that it can only absorb so much, like a weaker version of their Contour Barriers. The Nerd Scientist turns and swings a fist to launch a green wave of cutting Wind energy, but Kira blocks it with her gun. She keeps shooting, until the Nerd Scientist's barrier falls. She grins, and aims to shoot him directly, only for him to punch his hand into his fist again and re-create the barrier. Kira becomes extremely angry now, and emits a harsh grunt of irritation, which amuses the Nerd Scientist. He taunts, "Whath the matter? Fruthtrated that your pathetic bulleth don't work? HAR HAR HAR!" He swings a hand to throw a Fireball at Kira, and she is blasted with a yell of pain.

She gets sent flying against a table, flips onto it, over it, and ends up laying on her upper back, legs in the air, upside down. She mutters angrily, flips over onto her feet and looks at the Nerd Scientist as he readies a huge orb of Voltage. She shoots at him some more, but it's no use. The barrier works too well to prevent her bullets from striking him. Kira leaps to the side to avoid the orb, but it homes in on her and electrocutes her, causing her to scream, before it finishes with a burst that sends her flying against a large glass cylinder-shaped container filled with eerie fluids, within which floats the unnerving biomatter. Kira twitches from the residual electricity, and wipes away some blood from the corner of her mouth. The Nerd Scientist approaches, smirking disdainfully. Kira glowers at him, but notices something in her peripheral vision. The container she was slammed against is one of three set up right next to each other, each one containing something different. The one she was thrown against contains fleshy biomatter. The one to her left contains a strange looking plant. The one to her right is filled with a solid, sky blue fluid. She looks directly at the latter container, and her eyes widen. Within the container she spots the goofy-looking face of her Ether Blob, looking at her with a pensive expression. She stammers in complete astonishment, "...My... My... MY ETHER BLOB!"

The Nerd Scientist takes note, becomes curious, and says, "Oh, ith that yourth? It'th been a fathinating thpethimen-" "SHADDAP!" Kira screams, and turns her gun on the container, shooting it madly, with a wild snarl, "GRAAAAHHH!"

Her bullets are deflected off the extremely durable glass, but cracks are rapidly forming. The Nerd Scientist quickly becomes alarmed, but is too afraid to approach her. He just sputters, "W-what are you DOING?! THTOP THAT! **NO**!"

The glass shatters, and her Ether Blob pours out, then wraps around Kira in a manner that can only be described as a full-body embrace. It then shifts to normal blob-shape, and hoists her upwards, above and into itself, her body submerged within up to her waist. She puts her gun away and sways her legs inside it as though she were swimming. The blob's funny little face forms in the center of its round body. Kira belts out a wild cackle, which the blob silently imitates, and she dynamically folds her arms. The Nerd Scientist panics, and tries to hit her with a Stone Spike, but Kira, united with her blob, leaps over the spike, which stabs into the biomass container, causing the biomass within to thrash about. Kira lands directly in front of the scientist, who takes a horrified step back as she gives him a huge, pearly-white grin. Their eyes meet, his shivering ones with her widely-staring ones, and his square glasses between them. He trembles as he grips his glasses and stammers fearfully, "Y-you wouldn't hit a guy with glatheth, would you?"

Nearly everyone else in the lab hears Kira's mad laugh, and Zan, who has gotten stuck in a grapple lock with Zero, quickly takes a look. When he sees that she has retrieved her Ether Blob, he smiles. Then he blinks, and looks back at the still relatively-calm Zero, who notices that Zan's cybernetic eye has shifted into Scan Mode, though he doesn't know what this means. After a second of scanning and struggling to break out of the grapple lock with Zero, Zan confirms the presence of two other Amethytus Items in the lab. He grins, mildly disturbing Zero, and turns his head to exclaim out toward the others, "GIRLS! This lab is holding two more pieces of our gear! I can't identify what, but be on the look-out!" The girls become excited, and increase their efforts to fend off the surprisingly skilled Scientists.

The Jamjar Scientist yelps, "Oh CRAP no..." in response to this announcement, and seeing Kira regain her primary weapon. He yelps again when Zan brings his foot up into Zero's gut and sends him flying into the scientist.

Zan pulls out his Pulse Rifle and the Arc-Welder he snagged from the scientist to dual-wield them, and fires the Pulse Rifle at Zero and the Arc-Welder at the Jamjar Scientist the moment they get up. The scientist shrieks like a girl again as he's zapped, while Zero warps out of the way of the shots. Zan leaps at the Jamjar Scientist, and slams both guns down on the man's shoulders, flooring him. He kicks him to send him rolling up against a big analysis computer, and the scientist groans. Without a weapon, he can't do anything else. He starts crawling away, and Zan, knowing the man doesn't want to fight anymore, lets him go. Zan turns his attention back to Zero just in time to block an extremely heavy punch that still shoves Zan backwards, and Zero flares his cape out, slashing Zan badly and throwing him against a bookshelf, causing half of the books to spill onto the floor. Zan fires both weapons at Zero, who warps to avoid the Pulse Rifle, getting slightly closer to Zan, but getting zapped by the Arc-Welder. He warps again, gets even closer, and gets shot by the Pulse Rifle. He warps a third time, ending up right in front of Zan, and grabs him by the neck. He lifts him up, grunting in pain as he's shot by both weapons point blank, and slams Zan into the floor behind him. Zan bounces across the floor and shatters a table, managing to keep hold of both guns. Cybranites dart about him to repair the wounds, and he climbs to his feet, his cybernetic eye now showing the Determination Icon again. He doesn't notice a large spike of table fragment impaled in his back. The Cybranites dart all over it, and it slowly sinks into Zan's body, being automatically converted into resources for him to use. Zero stands there, arms folded again as he gives Zan a disdainful and grim stare. Zan narrows his eyes when he senses something, and cautiously comments, "You... I get the feeling you're holding back..." Zero flashes a subtle, knowing look...

Bella's vision is still hindered by the chemicals that got in her eyes, and the Mullet Scientist is still nearly blind from Bella's Light flash. She hears Zan's announcement that two items are in this room, and determines to find them. After wrestling feebly with her opponent for a moment, during which at a point he accidentally grabs one of her breasts, and she promptly slaps him for it, she is able to shove her knee into his gut, and he grunts hard, his relatively ordinary glasses flying off and over Bella's shoulder. He staggers back up against the glass container, holding his gut and wheezing, and both he and Bella struggle to clear up their vision. Bella begins to be able to see again through one eye, while the Mullet Scientist's sight begins to return through cloudy whiteness. He takes a vial out of his cart to throw, but Bella throws a Light Slash that breaks the vial in his hand and causes a smaller burst that turns his hand purple. He flails the hand around for a moment, and Bella leaps at him to slash him again. He jolts and yelps from the strike, and his hand suddenly shifts to one made of pure Light element. He blinks, then grins, realizing what has happened, and takes advantage of this to blast Bella with a basic bolt of Light. She flinches, but due to her resistance to the element, it does little to harm her. She looks at the spot he blasted, finding it largely undamaged, then gives him a snagglefanged sneer and taunts, "And what was that supposed to do?" "...Drat!" the Mullet Scientist fusses, and takes out another vial to throw at her. But he ends up dropping it when he is forced to jump to the side to avoid another Light Slash.

Chez Shay, still laying on the floor, hears Zan's announcement of items in the room, but disregards it, as she has nothing missing. She madly shoots at the Reflective Scientist inside the mini-crane. The glass front window protects him from the bullets, which deflect off, but the glass quickly starts forming cracks. He uses a crane arm to snatch up Chez Shay again and halt her attack, and she snarls viciously at him. One of The Beast's missiles hits the secondary joint of the arm, damaging it severely and slowing down the arm's movement abilities. Chez Shay sees The Beast fly in with a snarl and shoot another missile that destroys the joint, and the arm breaks, so that it hangs from cords and metal strips. The grappler releases Chez Shay and she flops to her seat on the floor. She jumps up, and she and The Beast exchange a high-five. They then turn their vicious gaze at the Reflective Scientist inside the mini-crane. He frowns nervously, and uses the remaining arm to throw a mechanical punch at The Beast, striking him and sending him flying with a yelp against a display of monitors. He proceeds to rip one loose and throw it at the pilot's compartment of the mini-crane, badly cracking the window. Chez Shay resumes shooting, but focuses her fire on the engine of the machine now. The Beast catches on, and rises up to fling missiles. The Reflective Scientist panics, and uses the grappling arm to grab Chez Shay once again. Enraged, she struggles, until she is thrown by the arm against The Beast and they smash back in to the monitor display, ruining it completely. The Beast snarls, creating three large spiked missiles, and flings them. The Reflective Scientist screams as the missiles strike the engine of the mini-crane, and it starts to explode. He looks around frantically as the crane goes up in chain-reactive blasts, and hollers, "THIS SUCKS!" The mini-crane explodes violently, destroying several other devices and containers near it, and killing the enemy scientist.

Chez Shay and The Beast climb out of the mess and pick bits of tech out of themselves. A loud thud from the heavy-gauntlet-using Buff Scientist still trying to attack Sasha catches their attention. They find themselves drawn to fight him, able to tell he is a very strong opponent, and dart in his direction.

Bridgette jumps again to avoid a spray of a strange pink acid from the Green Scientist's gun. She hears Zan's announcement of items in the room, but has to focus on her enemy, as she finds herself extremely afraid of his weapon. She throws another Fireball at him. He transports to the side to avoid it, letting it go by and strike another piece of equipment in the lab, which is now half-demolished. Bridgette faces him in time to see him aim his gun and spray more acid. With a shriek, she thrusts both hands to spew an intense flame at him. The acid immediately ignites, and the flames rush back toward the scientist blindingly fast. His expression remains largely unchanged however, and he stops spraying the acid a split second before the flames would have reached his gun, effectively saving himself from being torched. But a Lightning bolt blasts in through the embers and strikes the man, making him jolt back and scowl. He gives her a disturbing look as though examining a lab animal, and heartlessly comments, "Persistent little thing, aren't you? I see you're going to make my job of testing these chemicals on healthy human flesh difficult."

Bridgette shudders at the tone of his voice, his choice of words, and his overall inhumane demeanor, and responds with rising aggression, "Sick... You are so SICK! SO DISGUSTINGLY **SICK**!" With a scream, she creates a big orb of electricity over her head, surprising the scientist.

The electricity damages all of the nearby electronics and draws energy from them. She then throws the orb at the Green Scientist, and he is too amazed at the spectacle to avoid it. It strikes him, and sends him flying up against a large computer, leaving a man-shaped impact in it. He coughs and trembles from the electricity, but pulls himself out of the machine, and changes gears on his gun again. Bridgette, also trembling, but with fury, can't contain her shock at the fact he could get up after that. She begins to suspect he may be one of the head scientists here.

Sasha and the Buff Scientist have been continuing to exchange blows. Her tininess makes it difficult for his big, brutal attacks to hit her, but his bigness makes it easy for her to hit him with her bombs. What surprises her is the fact that he can take them with little reaction. He swings another hard punch, clipping her shell, making her spin rapidly in place, and she squeals as she does. She starts releasing bombs in all directions, and the Buff Scientist shields himself from the ones that come his way, while the rest damage nearby equipment and displays. She finally stops spinning, and rolls her head around a few times, swirls for eyes. She yelps when he brings a fist down flat on her and smashes her into the floor. She retreats into her shell with a whimper. He picks the oil lamp shell up, and readies to crush it, when a missile from The Beast strikes him and throws him onto his side, dropping Sasha's shell. Chez Shay and The Beast attack him the next instant, with her spraying bullets and The Beast throwing more missiles. After the first few shots connect, the Buff Scientist starts blocking the rest with his big gauntlet, and quickly gets to his feet. Sasha peeks out of her shell to see what's going on, and sighs in relief when she finds she's been rescued. She rises up, and joins them in attacking him with projectiles. He throws a hard punch amidst them, scattering some of their shots, but starts being wounded again by their attacks. He grabs a table and swings it at them, sending them flying in three different directions. He forms a smug look as he says, "Triple KO..." Then he notices them recover and ready to attack him again, and mutters, "...Or not."

Lyla hears Zan's announcement, and this pleases her, but she is too focused on the spooky Twin Scientists she is facing. Of all the enemies here, it seems typical to her that she'd end up fighting the scariest ones. She keeps trying to shoot them with her Tambourines' shots, but they block continuously with their energy wall generator, which proves to be surprisingly dangerous. She jumps and rolls to avoid a series of energy walls coming down from above to crush her, and activates a Bubble Skill Card. She casts a big Bubble at the Twin Scientists, who respond by creating two walls on either side of it to crush it, only to find that it effectively resists the crushing. Their emotionless looks become just slightly perturbed by this, and they keep attempting to crush the Bubble. Lyla sneaks around a couple pieces of equipment, and casts another Bubble at them. Due to their distraction, they are caught, and look around in surprise as they rise up into the air. Lyla smiles, and takes a moment to catch her breath. When the Bubble bursts on its own, hurting the Twin Scientists, they fall, but create a barrier wall below them to stop their fall and set them down to the ground. Lyla casts another Bubble at them, but they use one wall to push it aside instead, and cast another wall at Lyla in an attempt to shove her away. She leaps to avoid this one as well, and finds herself feeling an unusual sensation. Her fear is gone, and now she feels a touch of courage. She finds that she can handle these enemies after all, and that physical appearance doesn't seem to matter. She readies to keep fighting, now able to ignore their undead-like demeanor. They remain absolutely silent the entire time.

Kira yanks the glasses off of the Nerd Scientist, and hits him with them. He jolts, then stares at his now busted glasses, which he evidently didn't need to normally see with. The stare mutates into amusement, which he directs at Kira, and he comments, "...How did I know you were gonna do that? You've theen that movie too, haven't you?"

Kira rolls her eyes, chucking the scientist's glasses over her shoulder, and remarks, "Stupidest - movie - ever."

The Nerd Scientist takes out an identical pair of glasses, coolly puts them on, and replies, "A LOT of people would dithagree with you." He suddenly grins dramatically as he creates a mimicry blob of Water almost exactly like Kira's, which causes her to flinch, and her mouth to drop open. He even folds his arms exactly like she does, and says, "Heh. Thurprithed? I thtudied that Ether Blob! I know how it workth!"

Kira glowers fiercely at him, and snarls, "HMPH! But have you thtudied the- GAH, now you've got ME doing it! I'M GONNA PUT YOU THROUGH A WALL!" The scientist snerks.

Kira and the Nerd Scientist lunge at each other, their blobs locking huge muscular hands in a grapple lock. The guy flinches when Kira punches him across the face with her own fist, breaking his focus and allowing her Ether Blob to lift him up, turn him over and slam him head down on the ground. With a yelp, he falls over, where Kira leaps at him and has her Ether Blob bring a massive muscular elbow down on the Nerd Scientist's back, causing him to yowl sputteringly. He rolls over and thrusts both hands to shoot a huge jet of flames upward, which throws Kira back. She sinks into her Ether Blob up to her eyes to protect herself as the angry scientist gets to his feet while still firing the flame jets, which are so huge, they scorch the ceiling, walls and a set of pipes running up into the ceiling that said flames come into contact with. Kira suddenly thrusts a foot out, and the Ether Blob throws out a kick with a muscular-legged, boot-covered foot that slams into the Nerd Scientist, ending his attack and sending him flying against a piece of equipment. Grinning, Kira bounds toward him, and grabs him with both Ether Blob hands. He wails as she launches herself into the air, spinning rapidly, and comes crashing back down, bringing the scientist to the ground head first in a pile-driver. This is far too strong an attack for his feeble frame to withstand, and he flops over. He points up into the air with a wobbling hand, and mutters, "Go... NETHTTH... Thhbbthbt..." He blacks out, his arm flopping down and his head relaxing to the side.

Kira folds her arms again, grinning widely, and declares, "SuperNerd: Zero. Hot Water Scientist: TWENTY! HAHAHAHAHA!" Her Ether Blob rejoices with her.

Teresa hears Zan's announcement that there are items in the lab, and sees Kira get her Ether Blob back. But the only other thing she can notice is the blabber-mouth Giggling Scientist shooting at her with the Sonic gun. She simply cannot focus with him yakking up a storm, and resorts to trying to hit him with her GravBoard during fly-by swoops. He ducks below most of these, watches her swoop about, and swoons, "Oh how elegant! You truly have a witch's mastery of flight!"

Teresa's pigtails have bristled, and she squeals, "You are SO ANNOYING!"

The Giggling Scientist brings a finger to his mouth, pretending to be shocked at hearing this, and exclaims, "Am I really?! No one has EVAR said that before! Hoo hoo hoo!"

Teresa attempts another fly-by strike with her GravBoard, but it gets shot by the Giggling Scientist's Sonic gun and Teresa goes flying, landing on a table that, thankfully, has nothing but papers on it. She grunts hard and whimpers. When she looks forward, however, she gasps when she sees what is next to the table. A large, standalone analysis machine is placed there, with a sealed containment unit. Within the containment, is Teresa's beloved scepter, The Black Marrow Reviler. She crawls rapidly across the table, scattering papers and slipping three times, and falls off the table when she gets to its end. She scrambles up to the unit and presses her hands against the glass to gaze at the scepter. She lets out an excited laugh, and starts prying, with grunts, at the containment unit in a feeble attempt to open it. The Giggling Scientist chortles as he approaches, Sonic gun at the ready, and prattles, "Oh now THAT is not going to work, silly girl! The only way to open THAT machine is with a special code! And I wouldn't tell you that code if it were to save my life! Dantalion would have my head!"

Teresa snaps a furious glare at him, but flinches when Sasha lands nearby. She also sees Kira, close by, finishing off the Nerd Scientist that she is facing. Teresa calls out to the two, "Sasha! Kira! I found my scepter! Help me get it out!"

The Giggling Scientist's giggles suddenly stop when dread comes over him, and he grunts, "Whuh-oh..."

Sasha rises up, and sees Teresa's scepter in the container. She flies toward it, releasing bombs. Kira is still laughing, and finishes when she hears Teresa. She bounds over to her side. The Giggling Scientist shoots at them with his Sonic Gun, but they both dodge it effectively. Sasha's bombs leave cracks in the entire analysis machine, greatly weakening its sealing integrity, and Kira controls her Ether Blob to grab the sealing unit and start prying it off, causing it to crack loudly and badly. The Giggling Scientist panics, and gabbles, "Nuh-no no no! Don't break that! It's a VERY EXPENSIVE piece of equip-*CRASH*-ment..." He facepalms with a weak groan as Kira's Ether Blob chucks the lid of the machine off to the side.

Teresa reaches in, and yanks out her scepter. Her face lights up like the sun with beaming joy. She proceeds to emit a very loud, rather embarrassing squeal of utter delight, and hops in place a couple of times. Then she notices that a silence has overcome the entire lab. She freezes, her pigtails bristling, and she looks at Kira, who is giving her an extremely amused look. She looks at Sasha, who is trying not to laugh. She looks back, and sees that every single person, from Bella's group, to Zero, and the scientists are staring at her with a variety of looks ranging from pleasure to confusion to amusement. Her face turns beet red. Kira points at her and snarks, "How old did you say you were again?"

Teresa shakes off the embarrassment as hard as she can and raises her scepter dramatically. She announces with full confidence, "Tar Queen Teresa has returned! OH-HOHOHO!" Zan is delightfully charmed by her haughty little laugh.

She POINTS her scepter at the Giggling Scientist, flinging a blob of tar, but he quickly shoots it with his Sonic gun, bursting it. Teresa sweeps her scepter, creating a Bone Prison around the scientist, then jumps onto her GravBoard. Rising into the air with a cackle, she thrusts her scepter upward, and Tar Blobs start raining down all around the laboratory, dropping onto nearly every remaining enemy scientist, but for the one facing Bridgette, who stops the blobs above him with his acid gun. Teresa focuses, and creates a Tar Pit below Zero, who falls in again, causing both him and Zan to flinch. Teresa tries to summon Uroktors, but once again feels nothing but an emptiness there. This frustrates her, and she fusses, "Ergh... I still can't summon any Uroktors! Why?!"

The Giggling Scientist, leaning casually against the big bones forming his cage, chatters in amusement, "HAH! You're experiencing the effects of our Anti-Dimensional Resonance Jammer! Isn't it fascinating?! Among its MANY incredible features, it completely locks the mind of a person capable of interdimensional summoning of ANY sort into just the realm the Jammer is set in! All you can sense is yourself!"

The Green Scientist thrusts his head toward the Giggling Scientist and snarls, "Shut UP! You're telling them too much!"

The Giggling Scientist recoils in offense and retorts, "Knowledge is supposed to be SHARED!"

Zero, floating in the Tar Pit as though it were an ordinary pool, firmly says, "Not with the enemy. Be silent."

As all of this is going on, Bella notices that the Mullet Scientist, her opponent, is distracted by the situation Teresa has created. When a Tar Blob falls on him, he starts struggling to get it off, his hand also turning into the Sludge element, which doesn't help him much. Bella looks around and across the way from where she's at, and spots her wrench. It is hanging from a pair of small grappling arms over an examination table. She scrambles quietly over to it, grabs it, and yanks. It won't budge from the arms, but a couple of quick burst shots from her Compression Phaser Rifle breaks the grapplers and releases her wrench. She puts her gun away, grabs the wrench, holds it over her head, and belts out a powerful laugh, catching everyone's attention. Her group becomes elated at seeing that Bella has finally got her wrench back. She promptly hops on it to sit, and rises into the air. Teresa starts laughing too, and the two swoop toward each other. They perform a dynamic fly-by hand-grab, spin in place, strike powerful poses, and belt out triumphant laughter. Bella declares with utter joy, "The witches are back in business!" "Prepare yourselves for a fate worse than death!" Teresa proclaims with equal delight. She POINTS at the Giggling Scientist still in the Bone Prison, and threateningly adds, "Starting with YOU!"

The Giggling Scientist is slightly unnerved, and lets out a soft chortle. He proceeds to use his Sonic gun to destroy one of the bones surrounding him, behaving as though he could have always done this, but chose not to, and casually steps out. He turns and waves in a perfectly friendly manner, and responds, "There is NO WAY I can fight something as adorable as you now! Soooo, I'm gonna skedaddle!" He instantly takes off running, and yelps when Teresa flings a Tar Blob that gunks up his entire back. He still manages to escape, however.

The fights resume. Zero warps out of the Tar Pit Teresa trapped him in. Bella's opponent is still struggling with the tar on him. The Green Scientist with the acid gun turns his evil eyes back toward the wary Bridgette. The Buff Scientist easily blows the tar off of himself, and readies to fight again. The Twin Scientists are largely unaffected by Teresa's tar being on them, and prepare to resume attacking Lyla.

Bella pokes Teresa, and she looks at her. She points at the Mullet Scientist that she was fighting, and Teresa nods. Kira sees this, and looks at him too. Sasha moves to rejoin Chez Shay and The Beast in dealing with their opponent. Bella swoops down and gives the Mullet Scientist a snagglefang smile. He looks at her nervously, and yelps when Teresa descends beside Bella. Kira approaches ominously as well, and the man struggles harder to free himself. He yelps when Bella grabs him with her wrench, and lifts him into the air. She strikes him a few times with Light Slashes, and Kira grabs his legs. Teresa disperses the tar on him, and Kira slams him into the ground a few times, quickly knocking him out. The three turn to dash off and help when they hear Bridgette scream in fright while avoiding an attack.

The Green Scientist has shifted his gun to fire arrow-shaped shots of acid, and Bridgette tries extremely hard to avoid being hit by them. One narrowly does, and she leaps out of the way with a scream of fright. The Green Scientist sees Teresa, Bella and Kira approaching, and turns to shoot at them. Bella blocks a shot with a much stronger Light Screen. With her wrench to amplify her Light element attacks back to full potential, the screen goes from looking like a thin veil of Light energy, to a multi-tiered and beveled cluster of barrier segments. Teresa fires a Tar Blob that cancels out the acid bolt fired at her, and retaliates by hitting him with Amplify Damage. He ignores this, and keeps shooting, but jolts when he is blasted by Lightning from Bridgette. Kira is upon him, and has her Ether Blob bring down a quick, large karate chop that jolts the Green Scientist harder than normal. He shoots a bolt of acid, but Kira leans back hard to let it pass overhead, and slides to the side to avoid the mist it leaves in its wake. The scientist jumps back, gritting his teeth in irritation, and shifts his gun again. He aims it at the whole group before him, and fires a very wide spray of acid that could hit everyone. The two fliers yelp, and rise into the air, while Kira and Bridgette launch themselves to the side, to avoid it. The acid promptly starts to dissolve all the equipment and even the floor tiles. Bridgette takes advantage of the distraction to build up a second, big ball of electricity. The Green Scientist sees it coming, and doesn't allow himself to be entranced by it this time. He shoots his acid gun at it, but the electricity surges through the acid, and right into his gun, which starts to shake violently, the canisters starting to glow. His eyes widen in horror, and he shouts, "No! NO!" The gun explodes in a great big blast of acid the next moment.

Kira lunges at and grabs Bridgette, carrying her out of the blast range, while Bella and Teresa back up quickly. They can hear the agonized screams of the enemy scientist within the blast, which quickly stop. When the blast and the haze it leaves behind clears, there is a hole in the ground that is growing deeper, and no sign whatsoever of the Scientist. Teresa is quite appalled, and after a moment, hesitantly repeats, "...Like I said, fate worse than death."

Kira, staring warily at the acid chewing at the edges of the pit, assures them, "I doubt he felt that for more than a second."

Bridgette, coming off of her fear-empowered adrenaline-rush, remarks, "I am just grateful a monster like him has been removed from the gene pool."

Bella yelps, "Zan!" Seeing Zan still struggling with Zero, they head out to help him.

Sasha swoops in to help Chez Shay and The Beast pelt the Buff Scientist with their projectiles, and he initially blocks them with the table he is wielding, but the ballistic shots shortly break the table to pieces. He launches himself at them for a mighty punch, but misses completely. The blast his swing creates, however, throws the three fliers off to the sides. With a snarl, Chez Shay upgrades her Gunbrella to grenade launcher mode, and starts creating blasts that inflict significant damage on the lab itself. The Buff Scientist snarls, but grunts when one of Sasha's bombs pops on him, making him jolt. He throws a punch to deflect one of The Beast's missiles, but it explodes when punched, damaging his battle gauntlet. He jumps to the side to avoid a grenade from Chez Shay, jumps again to avoid another missile from The Beast, and jumps a third time to avoid another grenade, only to trip on a cord sticking out of the damaged floor. He slams down quite hard, and comes under a barrage of projectiles from the fliers. When the blasts clear, he lays there, unconscious. Chez Shay and The Beast cackle. Sasha yelps when she sees what is happening with Lyla, and darts over to help her. Chez Shay and The Beast see that she needs help, give each other mildly uninterested looks, then move to help anyway.

The Twin Scientists continue to launch energy walls at Lyla, and she continues to launch huge Bubbles at them. They use the walls to push the Bubbles aside, but soon there is a whole mess of Bubbles all around them. Lyla gets a frustrated expression, then realizes that the Bubbles are all around the Twin Scientists. She develops a look of realization, and disengages the Skill Card. She aims her Tambourines, and fires her normal shots, which cause some of the Bubbles to burst violently, leading all the rest to go off in a powerful chain reaction of blasts. The Twin Scientists wince and are thrown straight up into the air from all of the blasts. They shortly hit the floor again, and slowly, shakily climb to their feet. They quickly call up a barrier to block more shots from Lyla. While she is firing, they create a wall behind her, and she fails to notice. They then cast forward the wall they are guarding with, and at the same time have the wall behind her move toward them, shoving Lyla and making her yelp. She shrieks when the walls come together and pin her in place. They start to compress her, and she shrieks, her body being sandwiched. The look of near-death terror hits her when she realizes this could kill her, and she screams very horribly. Missiles and grenades suddenly rain down on the Twin Scientists, causing them to lose their control of the barriers, which disperse, and Lyla flops to the ground. Sasha quickly comes over to check on her. The barriers failed to actually cause any harm, they just frightened her. Lyla takes a moment to catch her breath and recover from the shock, while Chez Shay and The Beast barrage the scientists with their explosive shots. They guard against this with a barrier, but notice when their control orbs start to spark. They give each other mute, worried looks that the storm of explosives might be overloading the barrier orbs. Chez Shay, The Beast, and shortly Sasha too, relentlessly barrage their barrier, and their orbs overheat. The Twin Scientists just simply bow their heads in acceptance, and the orbs explode the next moment, sending the two flying across the lab and against a wall, where they collapse, unconscious. Chez Shay, The Beast, and Sasha approach Lyla. Chez Shay taps her shoulder with her Gunbrella as she chides, "You SERIOUSLY need to work on that whole damsel-in-distress demeanor. Your fighting skills suck!"

Sasha throws a little glare at Chez Shay and responds, "She's a PRINCESS. Of course she's not very experienced in battle!"

Lyla climbs to her feet, pushing herself to be braver, and replies in a tone that surprises the three, "Nevertheless, I am a witch, and I need to be strong. Thank you all, and I'm so sorry for being so incompetent. Let's help win this! Everyone's beaten the bad guys but for that man Zero! And some more of Bella's friends have their stuff back! We're winning!"

Chez Shay gives Lyla an approving look and a creepy sneer, and exclaims, "Heh, fine. Let's go kick more NESTS ass then!" They turn to rush to Zan's support.

Zero escapes Teresa's Tar Pit, and launches himself at Zan. Zan puts his guns away and reaches out to grab Zero, only to be grabbed himself. Zero flings Zan over himself, but is surprised when Zan grabs his arm mid-swing, and ends up crashing into him. Zan is still healing from the stab wound in his back, and Zero punches Zan extra hard across the face to throw him to the side. Zan rolls over his back and onto his feet, then has to jump to the side to avoid a cape slash. He draws the Arc-Welder and fires its electric shots at Zero, but he resists the current very well, and jumps at Zan in a Cutting Swallow attack. Zan does not allow this to connect, side-stepping it, and throws a roundhouse kick into Zero's back when he lands from the attack, making him stagger forward. Zero jumps at him and throws a hard, downward punch that Zan blocks with crossed arms, but is pushed to a knee from it. Zero grabs Zan by the face, and lifts him up. Zan promptly slams his knee into Zero's chest, causing some blood to spurt from his shoudler stab wound, and Zan scrapes his sharp-tipped fingers down Zero's arm to tear into both the suit and the flesh. Zero releases Zan and steps back, then lashes his cape out again to slash Zan. He cries out in pain, the slash cutting across an older cut that hasn't been fully healed. A Tar Blob strikes Zero, and he flinches. The blob is then blasted by a Lightning bolt from Bridgette, and ignites. Zero quickly warps to get out of the flaming tar, and is grabbed from behind by Kira, who lifts him up, leaving him open for shots of Light from Bella, grenades from Chez Shay, and missiles from The Beast. He warps again, escaping Kira's grip, and finds himself facing the entire party, now that much stronger with Bella, Teresa and Kira rearmed. They cluster protectively around Zan, and Lyla has him take out the Health Potion she gave him. He drinks it, and his slash wounds more quickly heal up, leaving just the tears in his suit.

Zero looks around. The entire laboratory is in shambles. All of the equipment is smashed, crushed, partially dissolved, or on fire. All of the experiments are ruined, contaminated or otherwise lost, with Kira's Ether Blob, Teresa's scepter, and Bella's wrench back in their rightful possession. And all of the scientists are either unconscious, dead, or have fled. He huffs again, and starts warping through the mess toward the outer door of the lab. Kira's eyes flare with rage and she snarls, "OH COME ON! GET BACK HERE AND LOSE LIKE A MAN!"

The group pursues Zero as he exits the lab, into the southwestern outer corridor. As they rush through the mess that the lab has become, Zan speaks gently, "Teresa?" "Yes, master?" she responds, looking at him with a positive demeanor as she glides on her GravBoard.

He is pleased to see Teresa's improved condition and good mood, and states, to everyone in general, "I am very glad you, Bella, and Kira have found your items."

They form very pleased expressions. Teresa gives him a cute yet confident look and gestures with her scepter as she replies, "Me too, master. Me too."

Zan turns his focus on Bella, giving her a confident look of his own, and remarks, "Things are now looking up, Bella."

She has a big, proud smile, and enthusiastically declares, "Yes! Yes they are! Come on, everyone! Press on! Let's win this!"

The girls emit a rousing cheer as they chase Zero into the corridor. He surprises them with a sudden attack the moment they enter the passage, grabbing Bella and throwing her at Teresa, kicking Bridgette in the gut to knock her over, and smashing a fist into Chez Shay to send her flying against Kira, Lyla and Zan. Sasha and The Beast were missed, and strike Zero with bombs and missiles, driving him back while everyone else climbs to their feet, angered by the ambush. They start shooting at him with myriad projectiles, and Zero is forced to warp away to avoid them. They resume chasing him through the corridor. Bella's smile is gone, having had a slice of humble pie shoved down her throat, and mutters, "...We still need our Contour Barriers before we actually CAN win this, though..."

Bridgette is wheezing as she runs, greatly alarming Zan. Through her ragged breathing, she growls, "*wheeze* I'm... *wheeze* gonna... *wheeze* kill... *wheeze* him..."

Zan grabs Bridgette and lifts her into his arms, causing her to yelp, then blush. He gives her a soft look, but the Determination Icon is still in his cybernetic eye. She takes this moment to rest and catch her breath, wrapping her arms around him. They continue to chase and shoot at Zero as he moves to the doorway containing the energy barrier separating the southwestern outer corridor from the northwestern. He deactivates the barrier, and resumes moving away from the group. They chase him to the center of the corridor, where there are doors on the inner and outer walls. Zero stops at the inner door, and unlocks it. He does not wait for the group this time, and ducks inside just as the group nears him, where they stop. Zan sets Bridgette on her feet, now that she has stopped wheezing. Zan takes a brief moment to look around, and notices that the door opposite the one they are standing at is sealed with a huge neotech lock, the kind that can only be undone by the base security system itself. He turns to look at Bridgette, checking on her, and asks, "Are you ok, Bridgette?"

She breathes normally now, but is feeling quite annoyed, and just a smidge tired. She replies, "I'll feel better when I get a chance to slash him with my scythe!"

Chez Shay is EXTREMELY riled up now, and with aggressive gestures of her Gunbrella, exclaims, "THIS is the payment I was waiting for, for helping you all! THIS is the excitement I was hoping for! Let's see what's next, and resume demolition of this base!" "DEMOLITION, MAAAAN!" The Beast howls boisterously.

Everyone preps themselves, and charges through the doorway, into the next chamber. They can't help but wonder which of their missing items they'll find next. The moment the door shuts behind them, the light over the sealed door in the corridor turns green, and the massive lock detaches itself...

They immediately find themselves within a small "T" intersection. There are smaller doors all along the foyer before them, while rather narrow corridors head off to the left and right along the outer walls of this chamber. They see Zero ahead of them, by a door at the end of the foyer, watching them. They look around briefly, wondering what kind of place this is. Chez Shay, however, wastes no time in shooting a grenade at Zero, who lashes out his cape to destroy the grenade mid-air. He then opens the door behind him and warps in. The group charges down the foyer, passing curious glances at the doors all along it. They rush through this secondary door, and find themselves in a lounge. A lounge filled with Kyo clones. Up until they entered, the Kyo clones were chatting and amusing themselves. But silence fills the busy room the moment Bella's group busts in. They immediately become very tense, expecting to be swarmed. But the Kyo clones just stare. And one of them yawns. Chez Shay, again, does not hesitate to attack Zero, firing another grenade at him, and he warps out of the way to avoid the blast, which seems to frighten the Kyo clones. One of them yelps, "Aw crap, they're here to destroy the place!"

Zero thrusts a hand to point at Bella's group, and orders, "Assist me in defeating them!"

A Kyo clone, slacking off in a lazy pose, gripes, "But... I'm on break..." He picks at his ear.

Another Kyo clone, laying on his back and looking very sleepy, mumbles, "My stomach hurts too much from eating that sixteenth hotdog." He belches suddenly, causing some other Kyo clones to chuckle.

A red-nosed Kyo clone snorfs, and groans, "I thig by allergies are ig full swigg... I cab barely focus by Fire power... *SNEEZE* Ugh..." He blasts his nose into a paper towel.

Bella's group is stunned. Are these really the same Kyo clones that so viciously pursued them in the city and countryside? They appear to be off duty. Zero shows just a slight twinge of irritation, and growls, "I will not tolerate such insubordination."

Yet another off-duty Kyo clone points at him and replies, "Yeah, well you're about to get insubordinated in the face, boss."

Zan, seeing this as a hilarious opportunity, launches himself at Zero once again. The girls realize that the Kyo clones must not be ambitious, and are actually rather lazy when off duty. It would seem that Bridgette was right when she remarked on the fact that the Kyo clones were just doing their jobs, and otherwise seem to bear no true animosity of any sort. Deciding to leave them alone, they initiate an attack on Zero again. Zan flies at him, swinging out a foot to kick Zero's face, and with with both guns drawn, he slams them down on Zero's shoulders the next instant. He rapidly follows up by blasting both shoulders with the guns, causing Zero to stagger back and the Kyo clones to react with painful expressions. Zero slams his fist into Zan's chest in retaliation, and Zan staggers back. A bolt of Lightning from Bridgette strikes Zero, and he jolts. He lashes his cape at Zan, who throws himself to the side to avoid it, and crashes onto a table with several Kyo clones around it. They scatter out of the way. Teresa thrusts her scepter to launch a Bone Spear, which pierces through Zero and causes him a great deal of pain. He warps backward away from them and grabs a Kyo clone. He throws the guy at the girls, causing the Kyo clone to scream, and they yelp and jump out of the way. The Kyo clone goes flying into the foyer behind them. Bella, Chez Shay and Kira fire their guns at Zero, but he warps around to avoid. Their shots start destroying objects in the lounge, and striking Kyo clones, causing a mild panic to break out amongst them. Zero is deeply perturbed at the fact that the Kyo clones refuse to get involved simply because they are off duty, and the stress of the constant pursuit and battle against Bella's group is finally beginning to take its toll. He backs up farther, alarming Kira, and she hollers, "I am NOT letting you escape again! It's time I showed you what power this beautiful little package holds!"

Now back to full offensive power, Kira launches herself at Zero, flying across the lounge, Ether Blob producing huge muscular arms. The other girls move forward to follow, while keeping an eye on the Kyo clones. Zan flips to his feet on the table and watches as Kira launches herself. Zero frowns, and braces himself. All four doors in the four centers of the lounge suddenly open, and in storms eight Kyo clones, Kusanagi, and a dozen Attack Drones. The girls yelp when two of the Kyo clones come in right behind them and attack without hesitation. One strikes Lyla with a hard kick and knocking her forward onto her front. She yelps in pain, but the next instant Sasha pops one of them with a bomb, and Bridgette blasts both with a Chain Lightning bolt. The Attack Drones open fire on Bella's group, who scatter to avoid the shots, and Kusanagi and the Kyo clone reinforcements move to close in on them. The off-duty Kyo clones watch with excitement, keeping out of the way of the fights, but seem to hold back from cheering on either side, likely out of fear of angering said side's opposition.

Zero lashes his cape out at Kira, but her Ether Blob crosses its huge muscular arms in front of itself, hardening them remarkably, to block the attack. The blades still cut into the arms somewhat, but as soon as the Ether Blob ends the block stance, the cuts disappear amidst the fluidic body of the blob. Kira throws a hard punch, smashing Zero and staggering him back. He counters by leaping forward and throwing a hard kick aimed at Kira's head. She dunks herself down into the Ether Blob to dodge, and has the blob clap its strong hands on Zero, catching him at the same time, and flinging him into a large screen TV, demolishing it. The Kyo clones close by fuss over this. Zero gets to his feet, grabs the TV, and throws it at Kira, but she catches it, raises it high, and flings it with incredible might back at Zero. He sweeps his cape out to slice the TV in two, and the Kyo clones are very dismayed. Kira lunges at Zero again and attempts to grab him, but he launches himself up to slam his knee into Kira's chest, and she grunts hard in pain. Then she snarls at him, her Ether Blob thrusting a hand against Zero's chest, the palm of the hand being as wide as his chest. Immediately after, she has the blob thrust the arm up and forward at an angle, sending Zero flying up to the ceiling, which he hits. He shortly drops back to the ground, landing on his feet. The next instant, Kira comes flying at him for a gigantic, boot-footed blob dropkick that hits like a truck and sends Zero flying into a wall again, leaving a man-shaped impact crater.

As all of this is going on, Bella's group contends with Kusanagi's reinforcements. Seeing Kusanagi again, Zan launches himself across the room, over the girls, and onto Kusanagi, flooring him. Zan punches him in the face before he can even say or do anything, causing him to yell angrily at Zan and punch him back with a flaming punch that forces him off. Kusanagi flips to his feet, and finds himself staring down the barrel of a Pulse Rifle and the sparking tongs of an Arc-Welder.

Bella, keeping in the air on her wrench as planned, fires multiple Cat Bullets, which fill the air with their claw-shaped projectiles. She dodges a shot from an Attack Drone, and the droids take damage from the flying projectiles. A Kyo clone leaps up to throw a flying punch, but Bella swings her wrench around to smack him with the grappling end, sending him flying. One of the Attack Drones, while focusing its fire on one of the other girls, glides into one of the Cat Bullets, which bursts, and blows up the droid, sending pieces of it flying at some of the observing Kyo clones, who yelp and shield themselves. One of them casually comments, "Looks like they're nearly completely back in fighting order, huh?" "I never thought I'd be so glad I was assigned base cleaning duty," another replies, while watching Bella sweep damaging beams of Light.

Teresa, too, is staying in the air on her GravBoard, and appears to be withholding tar attacks for some reason, as she is instead creating Bone Spikes to stab at the attacking Kyo clones, and impale the Attack Drones. She is shot in the side by one such droid, yelps, and launches a Bone Spear, destroying the droid in the process, as her scepter increases the overall damaging power of her Death element skills. She notices that most of the attacking Kyo clones are watching her with fear, and the fear in their eyes greatly appeals to her. She thrusts her scepter with a squeak, hits a batch of the Kyo clones with Weaken, and they immediately notice, becoming alarmed. An observing off-duty Kyo clone yelps, "That's the little Tar Witch menace that has the ability to blow up our brothers, isn't it?!" "The whole lot of them are like a bunch of bees though, I've heard. Leave them alone, and they'll leave you alone. Just... leave them alone..." a Kyo clone friend of his fearfully comments. He replies, "Don't have to tell ME twice..." and watches Teresa and the girls warily.

Bridgette, still the only one among the girls who hasn't gotten her weapon back, is using her Volt skills to fight the batch of on-duty Kyo clones. She blasts one when he comes flying at her for a flaming punch, but gets grabbed from behind by another one and lifted up a little. She snarls as she struggles, and two Kyo clones move in to punch her. She lifts her legs and shoves them into the two Kyo clones, while staggering the one gripping her from behind with her sudden weight shift and backward force. The off-duty Kyo clones notice, due to the shortness of her skirt, the curves of her legs and the sides of her backside, and their eyes widen with blushes. Bridgette electrocutes the Kyo clone still gripping her, and he drops her. She grunts when she hits the floor, flips to her feet, and blasts the Kyo clone with an orb of electricity. He gets sent flying with a scream, hits a table, smashes it to pieces while flipping over it, and flops over the other side. He staggers to his feet, and Bridgette sees a droid floating above him. It shoots at her, but she fires a Lightning bolt to neutralize the shot. The bolt strikes the droid, destroys it, and its remains fall on the head of the Kyo clone she launched, knocking him out completely. One of the observing Kyo clones that caught a glimpse of her curves nervously stammers, "Did you... did you see what I saw?" Another one, smiling with wide eyes and a blush, responds, "Yup... Apparently the rumors that the women of the Amethytus Estate are always going commando is true. I even heard there are nudists among them."

The nervous one turns his gaze on Bridgette's legs as she swings around to throw off another Voltage attack, and praises, "Sweet, sweet fanservice." His friend cautions, "Just don't let them SEE you ogling them..." They give each other nervous nods.

Lyla has climbed to her feet. Seeing the crowd of Kyo clones frightens her, but when she realizes that only these eight, being led by Kusanagi, are the actual threat, and that they actually balance out in number with Bella's party, her fear is eased. Seeing that the attacking Kyo clones are being handled by the others, she focuses her attention on shooting at the Attack Drones. They are raining shots down on Bella's group, so Lyla starts shaking her Tambourines, and sprays wooden bolts at the droids. Already being damaged by Bella's cat paw projectiles, they take even more damage from Lyla's Tambourine shots. Sasha stays close to her, and releases bombs that pop on any hostile Kyo clones that approach them, staggering them. One such Kyo clone becomes persistent in trying to get close, and casts a Dark Thrust attack. Lyla is hit, shrieks, and flies over the heads of a couple off-duty Kyo clones. They get out of the way as she climbs to her feet with a whimper, and she yelps when the attacking Kyo clone launches himself at her. She shakes her Tambourines extra hard, while turning her head away, eyes closed tight, and the Kyo clone is blitzed by point-blank shots, literally held in the air for a couple of seconds. When Lyla realizes he hasn't hit her, she stops and looks. He flops to the floor and groans. Lyla finds herself surprised that she managed to do that. He goes flying the next instant from a bomb released by Sasha.

Chez Shay and The Beast are doing the most damage and keeping the majority of the Kyo clones and Attack Drones busy, as usual. Chez Shay launches grenades at the Kyo clones, and they leap with some yelps in evasion. The Beast flings missiles at the droids, and due to the damage they're sustaining from Bella's shots, plus Lyla's adding in later, it only takes one hit from a missile to destroy a droid. The Beast flings missiles with wild yowling, and sends one droid flying apart. Another missile sends a droid careening into a mini-bar, and the off-duty Kyo clones there dash away to avoid. Chez Shay's grenade launcher nails one of the Weakened Kyo clones, and he goes flying. Another Kyo clone leaps up and grabs Chez Shay however, and she snarls at him with psychotic viciousness, surprising and frightening him. He reacts by punching her, causing her to grunt in shock. The Beast blasts him with a missile, and he is thrown back to the ground. Chez Shay snarls wildly, and upgrades her Gunbrella to rocket launcher mode again. She starts firing her rockets indiscriminately, and the off-duty Kyo clones get the heck out of the way of the shots.

Zan fires both of his weapons, and Kusanagi tries to deflect the Pulse Rifle shots with swings of his fists, but he can't do anything about the current of electricity from the Arc-Welder, and he yelps in pain. He builds a massive Fire surge, and thrusts it at Zan to create a huge flaming blast. Zan backflips, being singed by the flames, but they do not connect. He gets shot by an Attack Drone, and skillfully shoots it out of the air with the Arc-Welder. He aims his guns at Kusanagi again, but something catches his eye in his peripheral vision. He looks, and sees that one of the off-duty Kyo clones is wearing his neotech tie. The Alarm Icon briefly forms in Zan's cybernetic eye. He promptly puts his guns away, confusing Kusanagi, and runs right up to the Kyo clone, causing him to flinch. He abruptly grabs him, catching everyone's attention, as, up until now, Bella's group had been leaving the off-duty Kyo clones alone. Anger Icon now in cybernetic eye, Zan flatly says, "You're wearing my tie."

The off-duty Kyo clone looks down at the tie, then back at Zan with an apathetic look, and replies, "Oh, is this yours?"

Zan flatly says, "It matches my suit. Give it back."

The Kyo clone sneers, and taunts, "Make me."

Zan punches the Kyo clone in the face, and repeats as flatly as the first time, "Give it back."

The Kyo clone winces in great pain, and cries out, "OW! GEEZ! OK! TAKE THE STUPID TIE!"

Zan grabs the tie, yanks it off of the Kyo clone, and quickly cinches it up around his own neck. Zan's cybernetics visibly brighten, and a big, satisfied smile forms on his face, along with a warm Pleased Icon in his cybernetic eye. He gracefully holds his arms out to his sides as his cybernetics seem to awaken into a state of true power, and he whispers, "Feel the energy flow..."

The off-duty Kyo clone, sitting on the floor and holding his face, spits, "Robo-freak Terminator wannabe..."

Zan gives him a calm look and replies, "The Terminator was ALL robot. I'm closer to the Borg, only self-aware." The Kyo clone gives him an exasperated look.

Upon realizing that their neckwear might be in possession of the off-duty Kyo clones, the girls look around at them, unnerving the bunch, while the hostile Kyo clones are confused. The droids register this sudden lull in activity as aberrant as well and don't know what to make of it. Sure enough, however, Bridgette spots her tie being worn by one of the off-duty Kyo clones, and Bella spots her tie on the neck of another. Bridgette gives them a sour look and exclaims, "What the heck?! Don't you idiots know those are GIRLS' CLOTHES?!"

The off-duty Kyo clones look at the ties, and then at each other. It dawns upon them that the ties they have belong to the girls, and in a mix of dread over angering them, and realization that the ties are indeed rather feminine, react with juvenile revulsion, "Ewww!" They take them off and throw them at the girls. Bridgette gets hit in the face by her tie and flinches. She stares at them in astonishment, and snarks, "...I didn't say they were covered in cooties. What are you all, pre-schoolers?"

Bridgette and Bella retrieve their ties and put them on, becoming quite happy to have found them. Kusanagi, however, is staring in horror and disbelief, and exclaims, "What... what is WITH you people and this freakish obsession with neckwear?!"

After finishing putting her tie on, Bella finds the prospect of at last retrieving her cat-hat rendering her nearly hysterical. She looks around at the off AND on-duty Kyo clones, and shakingly shrieks, "And ANOTHER thing. WHERE IS MY KITTY?! I DEMAND to know where my KITTY IS!"

Silence once again fills the lounge. Even Zero and Kira have stopped fighting, distracted by this peculiar spectacle. Amidst the silence, faint mewling can be heard, seemingly in response to Bella's voice. She immediately becomes alarmed, and swoops down into one of the side foyers. All of the doors here are open, as the Kyo clones in this place have all come out to find out what the ruckus is. When Bella heads toward the sounds, one of the off-duty Kyo clones in the lounge realizes what she meant by her "kitty". He pales, jumps to his feet, and follows after her.

Teresa, meanwhile, brings a finger to her chin in consideration, and mumbles, "...I wonder..." She flies down to one of the off-duty Kyo clones, and her mere proximity causes fear to engulf him. She holds her scepter close, and it starts oozing tar. She puts on a scary face, able to shadow her eyes with darkness, and speaks as ominously as she can, "You. You are my special victim today, if you don't tell me where my Bejeweled Varkolyn Skull is."

The terrified Kyo clone can do nothing more than stutter, "B-b-b..." "Stop sputtering and spit it out!" Teresa shouts.

The mortified Kyo clone watches a drop of tar drip from the upper jawbone of one of the creature skulls on Teresa's scepter, and his eyes dart around for a second as he struggles to think. Teresa shakes the scepter, and the tar oozes a little faster. Finally, he manages to stammer out, "D-does it... look like... a bat head covered in gems?" "Duh," Teresa responds, and adds, "It's 'bejeweled'!" She holds the scepter closer to the Kyo clone's face, and he whimpers.

A different Kyo clone speaks up suddenly when he realizes what she's after, "There was something like that in a display case in the side foyer..." He points in the general direction of the treasure's location. Teresa swoops off via her GravBoard the instant she hears this, entering one of the foyers. The Kyo clone she terrorized promptly faints, surprising the others.

Bella follows the plaintive mewling, which is clearly calling out to her. She lands, enters a foyer dorm room, and stops, stunned. This room is absolutely loaded with cat-themed trinkets, pictures, plush dolls, and doodads. She takes a couple steps forward in, looking around in awe. The off-duty Kyo clone runs in and stops when he finds that Bella has already entered his room. He forms a mixture of embarrassment and fear over her reaction to this. She sees her cat-hat, sitting on a shelf, amidst myriad other cat items. It wiggles excitedly when it sees her. She looks around once more, however, and reacts, "Wooow..." She looks back at the Kyo clone, and exclaims, "Cat fanatic?! Me too!"

He knows what she's after, eyes it, and fearfully says, "I'll let you have that thing back if you don't scratch my eyes out."

Bella huffs, replies, "Deal. Jerk." She darts over to the shelf and takes her cat-hat off of it. She snuggles it for several seconds, and coos, "Ohh... My little kitty... I missed you... I was so worried about you... I love you... Kitty kitty kitty..." It wriggles happily in her hold. She puts it on her head, and it becomes content.

She turns to give the Kyo clone a snagglefanged smirk, and states, "As for you..." He swallows hard. "I'll just clobber you instead!" she finishes, and clobbers the Kyo clone with her wrench, sending him flying back out of the dorm room. She dashes out of the room, jumping onto her wrench to fly as she goes, to rejoin the others as quickly as possible, in case the hostile Kyo clones decided to take advantage of the reduced number of opponents, though their numbers have been reduced as well.

Teresa swoops through the foyer, turns a corner, and follows the side hallway, passing a couple of decorative items, until she comes upon a curio cabinet filled with, likely, stolen items. Amidst the treasures, her eyes light up when she sees her Bejeweled Varkolyn Skull resting on a cloth placemat. She tries to open the curio cabinet, but finds it locked. Without hesitation, she smashes her way into the cabinet with her scepter and grabs her treasure. She squeals in delight again, this time not worried about embarrassing herself. She dances and hops in place, and chatters giddily, "I found it! I did! I did! I totally found it! My treasure..."

She heads back to the others as quickly as possible, returning right around the same time that Bella returns. Teresa holds out her Bejeweled Varkolyn Skull for the others to see, and proclaims, "I found it! My Bejeweled Varkolyn Skull! I thought I'd never see this again!"

Lyla smiles on seeing Teresa's face beaming with joy, and asks, "Is it special?"

Teresa nods with a happy grunt, and replies, "Master Zan gave this to me! It's more precious to me than my own scepter!"

Lyla's smile becomes quite a bit warmer, as she softly comments, "That's sweet..." while giving Zan a pleased look.

Teresa puts it on, and stands proud, now pretty much complete, but for her Contour Barrier. She grins confidently.

Zero, standing there looking just a little bored, breaks the interlude when he asks, "Are you all satisfied yet?"

Kira throws a firm glare at him, and replies, "Not hardly. We didn't just come here to get our stuff back..."

An ominous demeanor takes over the girls and Zan. Bella, rising into the air, also mostly complete, declares in her most triumphant tone, "We came here... to DEFEAT YOU, and DRIVE YOU from Eihemland!"

"ENGUARD!" Zan suddenly shouts, and he lunges at Kusanagi, who yelps.

His lunge is cut short, when the entire base shakes suddenly, and a muffled explosion is heard. A different alarm starts going off. The off-duty Kyo clones look around frightfully, and one of them finally exclaims, "...FIRE ALARM!" "That is so ironic..." another one remarks.

Chez Shay speaks up with a fearsome demeanor, "That's one thing ya gotta love about fire... When left alone, it does its own thing..." She forms a very evil grin, and gives The Beast a look. He looks back at her, imitating her demeanor and expression.

The off-duty Kyo clones start evacuating the lounge, but Kusanagi's band and Zero remain, and the fight breaks out again between them and Bella's group. The Attack Drones open fire again the moment they see hostile activity in their targets. Zan resumes his lunge at Kusanagi, and Teresa moves in to support him. Kira gives Zero a toothy grin, and he takes a fighting stance, stern-faced. Bella, Bridgette and Chez Shay resume dealing with the remaining Kyo clones, who find themselves more reluctant to attack now, dealing with a mixture of fear over the situation at hand, and respect for their opponents over the fact they left the off-duty Kyo clones entirely alone aside from taking their stolen items back. Lyla, Sasha and The Beast focus on the Attack Drones.

Zan lunges again at Kusanagi, and punches him in the shoulder. Kusanagi returns the favor with a Fire-empowered punch to the chest. Zan grabs Kusanagi and flips him over himself to the ground, draws his Pulse Rifle and shoots him as many times as he can before Kusanagi rolls away and jumps to his feet. He yelps when a Bone Spear pierces through him, and leaps at Teresa to throw a Fire-empowered punch. She shuttle-loops on her GravBoard to dodge, and Kusanagi takes a shot from Zan's Pulse Rifle. He casts a big Dark Thrust attack, but Zan jumps over it and flies down at Kusanagi for an ax-kick. Kusanagi parries this, catching Zan's leg and slamming him into the ground. He creates a big charge of Fire, and blasts Zan with it, sending him tumbling across the floor into a lounge chair, shattering it. Teresa yelps, and flies down to Zan, but he climbs to his feet, Cybranites darting about to repair injuries. Lyla, spraying shots from her Tambourines, manages to damage one of the Attack Drones enough to send it crashing to the ground behind Zan. Kusanagi rushes toward him with a snarl.

Kira has Zero in the grip of her Ether Blob, having grabbed him suddenly, and she brings him over her head to slam him down head-first on the ground behind her. He bounces, with a grunt, and flips to his feet. He lashes out his cape and slashes Kira's blob in the back. She yelps, and bounces forward to get away from the rest of the attack. She turns around and snarls. She lunges at Zero, Ether Blob's arms outstretched for a spinning fists attack that backhands Zero and staggers him. He still seems to be holding back however, as all he does is warp out of the way of the rest of the attack. An Attack Drone's shot nails Kira, causing her to yelp and jolt, and distracting her. Springing upon this opportunity, Zero jumps at Kira, and slams her in the side of the head with a flying kick, sending her flying, and she bounces off a card table, scattering things everywhere. She gets up, however, and fixes a bit of out-of-place hair. An Attack Drone is popped by one of Sasha's bombs, and crashes to the ground nearby, its impact blast making Kira's casual hair adjustment look surprisingly impressive. She suddenly charges right back toward Zero again.

Chez Shay recklessly fires rockets in every direction, not just at the Kyo clones trying to attack the group. The blasts of her rockets blow holes in the lounge's walls, exposing the dorm rooms all around it, and fires have begun breaking out here now as well due to her explosive attacks. She is shot, however, by an Attack Drone, and this angers her into even more aggressive rocket launching, while The Beast turns his attention to attacking that droid. Bridgette sprays Charged Bolts all around herself, and the Kyo clones carefully avoid these surges of floating Voltage. Bridgette sees an Attack Drone fire a shot in time to dodge it, and readies to counter attack when a Kyo clone leaps in and punches her. To her surprise, the punch barely hurts. Bridgette then notices that he is one of the enemies Teresa used Weaken on. He looks equally frustrated, and Bridgette gives him a dark look. He grimaces, and tries to punch her again, but she grabs his arm and electrocutes him. He yelps, trying to get her to let go, but she sends him flying with a Lightning bolt. He staggers to his feet.

Bella swoops by overhead of the Kyo clones, firing a steady beam of Light from the paw ornament at the base of her wrench, which is considered the head of the wrench when she flies with it. Momentarily, the beam creates blasts of Light in its wake, in an attack known as the Light Blast Beam. The Kyo clones are scattered by this, but one leaps up and grabs her wrench. She yelps, and starts swiping at him with her hands to create slashes of Light. Now that she's had practice with Light element fighting even without her wrench, the elemental amplification of the weapon has made her skills that much better. The Kyo clone manages to smack her leg with a karate chop before he is shook loose, and Bella winces. The Beast finally manages to hit his targeted Attack Drone with a missile. It comes flying in, on fire, and smashes into the Kyo clone that struck Bella, sending him flying and knocking him out, causing Bella to flinch, then snicker.

Chez Shay takes out a bunch of hand grenades, having just remembered that she's been carrying these all this time. She tosses them everywhere, and their blasts send things flying. Some roll into dorm rooms and explode, ruining the rooms. Another rolls up to the foot of a Kyo clone. He grabs it and throws it at Chez Shay. It explodes in her face, blackening her with soot, but not actually harming her. She coughs once, then roars and fires a stream of rockets. The Kyo clone runs to the side, trying to avoid these, but their blasts catch up to him, and send him flying head first into a dorm room, and knocking him out. One of Sasha's bombs nails another Attack Drone, causing it to go flying into a wall near the hole the Kyo clone flew through, where it explodes, leaving a blast mark and damage on the wall.

Bridgette finds herself triangulated by three of the Kyo clones after they recovered from Bella's assault, and they start building Fire power for a triple blast. Bridgette raises her arms to build a powerful charge of Voltage in response. The Kyo clones become frantic as they try to charge faster, but do not make it quite in time before Bridgette thrusts her hands to the ground, tossing her skirt up to flash her backside in the process, to release a Nova outward. The last thing the Kyo clones behind her see is the eye-catching sight she involuntarily provides, before the Nova surges over everyone, including the two remaining Attack Drones, Kusanagi, and Zero, the latter two not expecting this and being rendered vulnerable to attacks while recoiling. The two droids are instantly destroyed by the attack, freeing up Lyla, Sasha and The Beast. The three Kyo clones at the epicenter of Bridgette's attack are launched hard. Two of them crash down on furniture in the lounge, groan, and do not get back up. One finds himself crackling with Voltage, spasms, and can't get himself to move very well. He struggles to his feet, only for Bella to desend in front of him. He grits his teeth in distress, as Bella smirks again. She rotates her wrench to aim the grappler at him, and builds a charge of Light in it. The Kyo clone shakily brings his arms up to guard against the attack, and Bella fires a new attack exclusive to her wrench: the VividHue Orb, a big orb of Light energy that creates a multicolored blast. The impact is so heavy, it sends him flying straight back, flips him over a cabinet, and he crashes into a shelf of drinking glasses, which pour down to shatter around him. Bridgette and Chez Shay look at the last Kyo clone. He looks around, seeing that he is the only one left. Knowing he doesn't stand a chance now, he holds his hands up submissively, exclaims, "I give! I give!" and runs out of the lounge, just barely dodging a rocket from Chez Shay.

Kusanagi, red eyes glowing with rage, yells at the fleeing Kyo clone, "DAMN YOU, YOU COWARD!" gets zapped by Zan's Arc-Welder, and snarls, "ARGH! CUT IT OUT!"

Zero was stunned by Bridgette's electric wave, giving Kira an opening, and she grabs him with her Ether Blob. She flips him upside down, performs a short hop and slams him back-first to the ground, once, twice, then makes a higher jump and slams him down a third time extra hard, bouncing him forward a short distance. He gets to his feet again, and comes under fire by projectiles from Lyla, Sasha, Chez Shay, The Beast and Bridgette, while Bella moves to support Zan and Teresa against Kusanagi. Zero starts warping around to avoid the attacks, and realizes that, once again, he needs to retreat.

Kusanagi lunges at Zan, throwing a flaming punch, furious. Zan is struck and staggers, and gets hit by a second punch before Kusanagi's combo is interrupted by a Cat Bullet from Bella, its burst knocking him onto his side. He flips to his feet and snarls viciously, building another huge Fire charge. He casts it forth at Bella, but she creates a Light Screen to block the attack, and Kusanagi is shot through by a Bone Spear from Teresa, causing him to yell in a combination of pain and anger. He leaps at Teresa again, but notices at the last second that she has a very sinister look. Just before he reaches her, she thrusts her free hand, and fires a very large Tar Blob, that nearly completely engulfs him. He drops to the ground, where he grunts and growls, trying to get the tar off. He is already furious, and in his rage, forgets that he mustn't use Fire skills near Teresa's tar. He starts building a Fire charge. Teresa, Zan and Bella throw themselves away from him to the ground, and the tar creates a mighty blast that Kusanagi screams from, being launched straight up to the ceiling. He drops back to the floor the next moment, and staggers shakily to his feet, severely injured. The others are surprised to see him get up after that, showing just how tough he is. He growls, just barely able to speak at all, "I'll... get you... for this..." He takes off running with a gimp out of the burning lounge.

Zero is alone again. He sees the group drawing toward him, and just stares, completely flabbergasted. He slowly shakes his head, unable to contain his incredulity, and comments, "Such destructive power from such... CHILDREN..."

Teresa crimps the side of her mouth at his use of the word, and responds, "I know I don't look it, but I'm probably older than YOU, you proud clod!"

Zero has nothing else to say, and warps to the door to the foyer he originally entered from. "DOOON'T!" Kira bellows.

He warps away from them, out of the lounge, and Kira facepalms. The group pursues him once again. They chase him down the foyer, and through the door back into the northwestern outer corridor. He keeps warping, fouling their attempts to shoot him, though now that nearly everyone has improved mobility, they try to catch up harder, with Zan, Bridgette, Lyla and Sasha being the only ones to fall behind. Zero reaches the doorway containing the energy barrier separating the northwestern corridor from the northeastern, and deactivates it, but promptly gets shot by a beam of Light from Bella's wrench. He retaliates by performing a Cutting Swallow attack, and the fliers and Kira back up quickly to keep away from it. The moment his feet touch the floor, he warps away from them into the next quadrant of the outer corridor, the northeastern. To everyone's surprise, it is filled with Attack Drones, and they start pouring shots at the group. Sasha darts ahead and creates a projectile-slowing energy sphere, giving the group time to return fire and shoot down several droids. They slow their chase to a march, shooting at the droids and moving out of the way of their shots, but keep following Zero. They spot him reach the inner door at the center of the corridor, and open it. He warps in, and the group carefully works their way to it. They take a moment to destroy as many of the droids as possible, and Zan, Kira, Chez Shay and The Beast all get shot. But Chez Shay's rockets are doing extreme damage, able to destroy many of the droids in a single hit. As Zan fires his Pulse Rifle and Arc-Welder in tandem, he shouts over the sounds of weapons fire, "We're almost through here, I think! Can everyone maintain?!"

Bella, using a big Light Screen to protect the others against some shots, responds excitedly, "I'm riding high! I found my kitty!" The cat-hat wiggles in response, clearly very happy to be back on Bella's head.

Teresa uses Amplify Damage on a horde of the droids, and is brimming with confidence as she enthusiastically proclaims, "Yes, master! I feel like I could take on NESTS by myself and win!"

Bridgette casts a Chain Lightning bolt that demolishes several droids rapidly, and replies, "I'll manage..." She looks a little fatigued.

Zan, of course, notices, and gently says to her, "You can conserve your energy now... I suspect that my weapon and yours are all that are left, along with our Contour Barriers. We needed the extra firepower before, but now that almost all of us are armed, you can hold back a little." Bridgette gives him an appreciative look, which he returns with a gentle one.

Bella also notices Bridgette's shortage of energy, moves closer to her, and says, "Bridgette? Here." She takes out her Compression Phaser Rifle and hands it to her. She adds, "I've got my weapon back, and I probably won't be using that anymore."

Bridgette finds herself rather surprised by the gesture, but then gives Bella a grateful nod and smile, and replies, "Thank you, Bella. I'll give it back when I find my own weapon."

Bella nods in response, and acknowledges, "It's the least I can do to make up for how difficult this mission has been for you. And thank you, Zan, for making that for me. It really helped me out." When she looks at him, however, she notices the very proud look he is giving her, and smiles in response to it.

Bridgette starts shooting at the droids with the Compression Phaser Rifle, and finds it very effective. She finally gets to take a break from expending energy on elemental attacks. Zan resumes shooting at the droids with both weapons, and speaks to everyone, "If the last of our gear is in this last chamber, we'll be at full power. I want to warn you all, I think Zero is holding back. He's known for limiting himself depending on the threat of his enemy, and once we're back at full power, he will probably bust out some dangerous moves he hasn't used yet."

Chez Shay, spraying rockets like there's no tomorrow, happily exclaims, "AWESOME! Let him! I wanna kick his ass back to the stone age!" "LEAVE HIM IN RUBBLE!" The Beast adds with enthusiasm.

Kira narrows an eye in irritation on hearing this. At the moment, she's using her FN-P90 on the droids, since her grappling techniques are poor against flying enemies, and the gun's bullets tear through targets and drop them like flies. She comments, "I suspected he was holding back when I fought him. He barely even tried. A punch here, a kick there. Honestly, it was quite insulting."

Lyla is helping the group too, spraying wide volleys of shots from her Tambourines that hit many droids at once. She mumbles nervously, "That worries me..." "Me too..." Sasha adds, as she releases bombs while she recharges her energy.

Zan looks at their Eihemland support members, and warns them, "Chez Shay, Beast, Lyla, Sasha, if he uses anything that would severely hurt someone unprotected by a Contour Barrier, I want you to try very hard to avoid it. Don't be reckless, don't be overconfident. I cannot build Contour Barriers for you on the spot, so you need to rely on us to protect you, ok? Don't be afraid to use us as cover from any such attacks."

Chez Shay makes an amused huff. To her surprise, The Beast nods, with a serious expression. She decides to acknowledge as well. Lyla and Sasha are quick to acknowledge. Afterward, Zan announces, "Everyone prepare yourselves. We WILL win this, right Bella?"

She has a valiant expression, and responds, "RIGHT! Let's go, ladies and gentleman!" The Beast makes an annoyed face at her singular use of the term. She continues, "Let's defeat NESTS and liberate Eihemland!"

The group backs through the door to get away from the droids, and enters the next chamber.

They find themselves facing more droids however. Sprawling out before them, is a factory; a droid factory. And it is currently busily building more droids, despite the imminent danger of the base being on fire. Conveyor belts network the entire chamber, with large mechanical arms attaching parts to one droid and then the next. A massive press and a big laser etcher are constructing circuitry. And from the ceiling descend shafts through which the parts for the droids are deposited into trays for the arms to collect. Where the parts themselves are coming from is not observable. Zero has taken up a spot in the middle of a raised, circular observation platform, and is watching the group. They can tell he is catching his breath as well, and the many droids of all types, from the weaker Scouts, to the stronger Attackers, the Shielded, and even Camera Drones, in swarms, all turn to face them. They immediately ready their weapons. The noise of the factory is overwhelming at first, and it distresses the girls, who are used to the tranquility of their home, where not even the Gofer Factory is so loud. But they notice as Zan, in an almost automatic reaction to the noise, reaches up to touch his large cybernetic ear, and suddenly the noise of the factory diminishes dramatically from the perspective of the girls. Chez Shay immediately flinches, and looks around in confusion, seeing the presses stamping down, but only just barely hearing them. She reacts, "Whoa. What the hey? What did you do?" Her voice can be clearly heard.

Bridgette grins, and she explains with strong pride for him, "Zan's ear is there for more than hearing and transmitting. It actually gives him some minor Sonic element abilities, including muting of ambient noise! To within a certain radius around him anyway."

The Beast stares, and blurts, "BUILT IN MUTING? HAW!"

Lyla gives Zan a charmed look, and cheers, "You have so many neat tricks!"

Teresa, too, is brimming with pride for Zan, and joyfully declares, "Isn't my master amazing?!"

Zan just gives the girls a mild look of pleasure at the compliments, but keeps his focus on Zero. The group carefully approaches him, moving up the metal ramp that leads to the observation platform. Their weapons and attacks at the ready, they take note of the droids gathering around them, and know they are about to be attacked by them. Zero watches them approach, his arms folded. He remarks, "You certainly are a persistent lot, aren't you?"

Bella gives him a sour glare, and growls, "Why wouldn't we be? You've invaded my home realm! We're here to defeat you, not just get our stuff back!"

Zan points his two weapons at Zero, and gestures aggressively as he adds, "And your exploitation of Interdimensional Static is causing harm to the fabrics of the multiverse. We MUST stop you from doing this!"

Zero maintains his collected demeanor, gestures dismissively to the side, and says, "What threat is a little more damage to a dimensional network already so riddled with holes? Once we've taken control of the multiverse, it won't matter."

The Anger Icon forms in Zan's cybernetic eye, as he exclaims in an aghast tone, "You have no clue what you're talking about!"

Lyla, however, quietly mumbles, "Neither do I..." "Hush," Sasha gently shushes, and Lyla shrinks back slightly.

Zero turns his back on the group, and they become alarmed, knowing what he's about to do. He declares, "You all are growing stronger so quickly as you find your precious gear. Perhaps you are becoming too strong. It is time you were mopped up before you cause any more damage. Return, Glaugan. Let us work together again."

As they expected, Glaugan reappears from a portal and lands on another observation platform. With a roar and a leap, he springs onto the platform everyone else is on, and roars at them again. Bella gives him a warm look, and he tries to avoid eye contact with her. He does notice her cat-hat though, and briefly becomes confused by it.

Zero turns to face the group, now in his usual fighting stance. Recognizing this, the group attempts to catch him off guard, every one of them simultaneously launching a collective of attacks at both him and his lion. Zan fires his Pulse Rifle at Zero and his Arc-Welder at Glaugan. Bella rapidly creates a large cross-shaped Light Slash, Teresa fires a Bone Spear, Bridgette launches a Chain Lightning bolt, Kira has her Ether Blob throw a very long punch, Chez Shay launches a big rocket, The Beast launches a big missile, Lyla activates a Wave Card and fires its shots, Sasha releases some bombs, all of these at Zero. To deal with these attacks, Zero surprises the group by conjuring up a barrier of white Void energy, a skill he hasn't used before now. This barrier blocks Zan's shots, Kira's punch, the ballistics from Chez Shay, The Beast and Sasha. But Teresa's Bone Spear pierces through it to strike him and break his focus, and Bridgette's Chain Lightning also hits him, and arcs off to hit Glaugan and three droids. He leaps out of the way of Bella's Light cross-slash and Lyla's Wave shots, and Glaugan springs to the side to avoid the current of electricity from Zan's Arc-Welder, in reaction to this sudden storm of shots. Bella's group's preemptive attack triggers a different storm, however, when the swarm of droids around them immediately open fire with their shots, which pour at the group. They are forced to start dodging about on the large observation platform.

Zan lunges at Zero, amidst the storm of projectiles, sweeping his Arc-Welder to strike some droids as he leaps, and finishing the approach by turning the gun on Zero. He does manage to zap Zero, before he is shot by a droid, and Zero swings both fists upward to strike Zan and throw him back. Bella, Teresa and Chez Shay take to the air to dodge the storm from the droids. Teresa quickly creates a Tar Pit beneath Zero, but he warps out of it the instant he realizes what has happened, and Glaugan retaliates by leaping at Teresa with a roar. She shrieks, and performs a flip, just barely avoiding the lion's attack, only to be shot by a droid and yelp in pain. Kira launches herself at Zero again, and manages to grab him, but gets shot in the shoulder by a droid, interrupting her attack, and Zero shoves his knee into her, throwing her off. He quickly warps in front of Bridgette, and she yelps. He goes to kick her again, but she blasts him with a burst shot from her Compression Phaser Rifle in anticipation of this, stopping his attack. She is still shot by a droid however, and snarls. She keeps firing burst shots from the rifle, and one of Sasha's bombs pops on him as he's distracted, causing him to warp back to avoid more damage. Glaugan leaps up at Chez Shay, swiping a paw, but she moves upward to avoid it, laughs mockingly at the lion, and shoots at it. It leaps out of the way, landing on a mechanical arm that gives it extra height. It leaps, with a roar, at her, and she shrieks, but Glaugan is intercepted once again by a missile from The Beast, who grabs the corners of his own mouth and stretches them out, while flapping his tongue at the lion. Glaugan gives him an annoyed look, but seems impervious to his taunts now. The lion turns suddenly and launches at Bella, who gazes lovingly at the magnificent creature. He cannot resist HER eyes, however, and ends up missing his opportunity to slash her mid-leap. The Beast is annoyed that he can't goad Glaugan any more.

Lyla is scrambling around to avoid droid shots, panicking more than attacking. Zan is shot in the side as he attempts to shoot Zero. Bridgette is shot in the back as she throws a Lightning bolt. Bella, Teresa, Sasha and Chez Shay move as erratically as they can to avoid the shots. Kira dunks herself into her Ether Blob to shield herself from the storm, and it is proving to be too much. The group can barely focus on attacking Zero with so many droids shooting at them from every direction. Glaugan lands on the top of a large machine, and roars, before leaping down at the group, landing on Lyla, and making her shriek in fear. He goes to bite her, but Kira bounds in and drop-kicks the lion to throw him off. Lyla crawls out from between the two. Bella starts building a powerful charge of Light energy in the grappler of her wrench, aiming it at Zero as he lunges at Bridgette to grab her. Suddenly, a huge, swirling blade of Plasma energy flies in, and explodes on impact with Bella. She screams loud enough for everyone to hear, and comes crashing down onto the observation platform, crackling with residual Plasma energy. The Alarm Icon forms in Zan's eye, and most of the girls yelp. Bridgette grips Zero's arm to manage his grab, and shoves a Fireball into his face to throw him off, then scrambles over to Bella. Zero stops for a moment. Kira stays where she is, staring down Glaugan, but keeping an eye on the situation. Everyone else quickly moves to Bella's side as she lays there in pain. Sasha moves over the group and creates her projectile-slowing field to give them some cover from the droids' storm of projectiles. Teresa frantically cries out, "Bella! Bella! What happened?! Say something!"

Bella lays there, still crackling with Plasma energy, and has tears in the corners of her eyes, as she groans, "Owww... I feel like Bridgette just struck me with an attack..."

Bridgette shakes her head fretfully in response, and exclaims, "But I didn't! Where did that come from?!"

Lyla takes out a Health Potion and has Bella use it to recover. Chez Shay looks around amidst the swarm of droids and remarks, "That shot was huge! I've never seen anything like that from these pests before!"

Zan, however, has spotted the source of the attack, and is looking at it with a mixture of dread and firmness. He says, "That's because that thing appears to be unique..."

Everyone else looks at Zan, then looks at the source. They pale somewhat when they see a huge Enforcer droid looming toward them amidst the myriad smaller droids. This Enforcer is at least one-third bigger than the other ones they've seen, has deep purple armor plating, and sports four huge, scythe-like claws. It is crackling with Plasma energy as well, and even though it doesn't have a face, it feels as though the thing is glaring at them, readying to kill them on the spot. The Beast's jaw drops to hang open, and he reacts, "...NICE..."

Teresa is now quite scared, and whimpers, "M-Master?! What is that?!"

Zan speaks in a stern tone as he is scanning it to collect its data, "It's a unique Enforcer droid, identified as a Super Enforcer... that appears to have assimilated my Plasma Cells, and Bridgette's scythe."

Bridgette jolts up and shrieks, "WHAT?! My scythe is inside that thing?!"

Chez Shay wiggles her hands tauntingly as she chides, "Wooo... Real original name, there."

Zan, still scanning it, explains, "It has utilized our weapons to improve its own combat abilities... But if my scans are correct, we can extract our gear from it if we destroy it." His demeanor grows more and more confident.

Bridgette jumps to her feet, her breasts jolting excitedly within their insufficient covering, and she snarls, "There's no WAY I'm letting it use my own weapon against us like that! Let's rip it apart!"

Bella sits up, healed with Lyla's potion, and points out nervously, "There's no way we can win this with all of these droids shooting at us, either. We'd best focus on specific enemies here..."

Chez Shay thrusts her Gunbrella into the air as she exclaims, "Let me do the demolition! Come ooon! There's SO MUCH to BREAK in here!" "PUNCH A HOLE, PUNCH A HOLE!" The Beast excitedly chants.

Bella shakes her head, and proceeds to instruct the group, "No, I have a better idea... Zan, Bridgette, take down that Super Enforcer and get your weapons back!" They give each other a look that turns sinister and determined. Bella continues, "Teresa and I will focus on the droids!" Teresa seems relieved, and smiles. Bella resumes, "Kira, focus on that... lovely lion, for as long as you can!" Glaugan, and Zero, flinch on hearing her compliment the animal, while Kira just nods. Bella continues, "Chez Shay, Lyla, take your companions and attack Zero! You just need to hold him back!" Lyla practically freaks out. Chez Shay quickly shifts from annoyance at being denied the opportunity to demolish the factory, to utter delight at being able to fight the boss of the base, and nods, while Sasha trembles, and The Beast utters a cackling yowl. "Move out!" Bella finishes, thrusting a fist into the air.

Bella jumps to her feet and hops onto her wrench again. She and Teresa take to the air, turning their attention toward the droids. Zan and Bridgette move close, and face the Super Enforcer. Kira grins a pearly-white grin at Glaugan, who imitates it, amplified with his terrifying set of needle-sharp lion teeth and glowing red eyes. This does not intimidate Kira, however. Lyla takes out her flying carpet, keeping it small, and sits on it to improve her mobility, while Chez Shay readies to assault Zero.

The Super Enforcer registers Zan and Bridgette as the original owners of the weapons it is equipped with, and identifies their turning of focus toward it, so it does the same, readying to fight them directly. It opens fire immediately with a flurry of Plasma Orbs at the two. Zan smacks some aside, but Bridgette gets struck by one and yelps. She retaliates by flinging a bolt of Lightning, but the Super Enforcer absorbs the bolt and does not take damage. It moves closer to the two, and lashes out one of its huge scythe claws, cutting across Zan's stomach. He cries out, and Bridgette is angered further. She flings a Fireball, but the Super Enforcer ignores this attack, its armor dispersing it. Zan fires his Pulse Rifle and Arc-Welder at the droid, but its armor once again deflects the shots, the electricity of the Arc-Welder failing to do any harm. The droid counter-attacks with more Plasma Orbs. Zan and Bridgette leap out of the way, and she fires another bolt of Lightning at it, which it once again absorbs. She snarls in frustration, and raises her arms, building electricity between them. The Super Enforcer turns and lashes a claw out, interrupting her charge, and slashing her, cutting her little breast-covering in half and freeing her breasts to be visible again. Being a droid, it does not react to this, but Bridgette's charge is interrupted when she jumps back after being hit. She glowers, and sees Zan land on the droid to punch into it. She shrieks for Zan to look out as the droid suddenly discharges Plasma energy around itself to throw Zan off, and he crashes onto his back on the platform. The droid turns and raises a claw, then brings it down to stab into Zan, but he catches the claw with his hands and struggles to keep it from finishing its attack, which is a strain even for his strong cybernetic limbs. Bridgette scrambles over and shoots the droid's arm with her Compression Phaser Rifle. The shot damages its arm joint, and Bridgette flinches. She turns and shoots the droid with the rifle again, and the pin-point focus of the rifle's stream fire slips between its plating of armor, and damages the droid. It backs up a bit and fires Plasma Orbs, but Bridgette and Zan get out of the way again. They give each other confident looks, now that they know the droid's weakness is the rifle Bella gave her. They pass an appreciative glance at her, as she swoops and darts to fight the regular droids, then ready to battle the Super Enforcer further.

Lyla is firing a continuous stream of Wave shots at Zero. Sasha is releasing bombs. Chez Shay is spraying rockets. The Beast is flinging missiles. But they are having a devil of a time actually hurting him, and they are constantly having to evade the storm of projectiles from the droids. Zero warps about, and suddenly appears in front of Sasha. She yelps when he punches her, sending her flying back and onto a conveyor belt. She shrieks again when one of the mechanical arms grabs her. The Beast throws a missile that breaks the mechanical arm, and Sasha wriggles free. She gives The Beast a surprised look, and he rubs the back of his head rather bashfully, but gets shot by a droid, and snarls. He returns back to throwing missiles at Zero. Chez Shay flies up in front of Zero as well and POINTS her Gunbrella at him, as she wildly declares, "You haven't faced ANYTHING until you've faced the Bomber Witch! DIE, T-BONE!" She immediately fires a big rocket.

Zero blinks, mutters, "..'T-Bone'?" and thrusts a hand out to create a Void barrier to block the rocket blast.

Chez Shay snarls, and fires another rocket, but yelps when Zero lashes his cape to destroy it, then jumps into a Cutting Swallow attack that slashes Chez Shay up her front. She screams, backing away quickly, and bleeding all down the center of her chest. She practically roars at Zero, and starts spraying rockets, only to be shot by a droid, making her even angrier, if that were even possible. Lyla moves close to Chez Shay, shaking her Tambourines to fire more Wave Shots. She fearfully exclaims, "Use Skill Cards, Chez Shay! Come on! You know they can protect you!" "They're BORING, DAMMIT! Gimme a Health Potion instead!" Chez Shay bellows, spraying rockets at Zero.

Lyla reluctantly tosses her one, and she chugs it to stop the bleeding, though her body is still visible through the tear in her clothes. Zero lunges at them, causing the two to yelp and dart to the side to avoid a hard, flying kick, and Lyla ducks with another yelp, seeing and letting pass overhead a shot from a droid. The two continue to shoot at him, with The Beast and Sasha lending them support. Zero doesn't reveal this to them, but he finds fighting them irritating, due to their good mobility. He surprises them however when he warps beside Lyla and punches her, breaking her Wave Skill Card. She squeals as she backs away from him, firing normal wood-bolts now.

Kira and Glaugan continue to stare each other down. Suddenly, and in tandem, they lunge at each other. Kira's Ether Blob grabs Glaugan's front paws, and the two grapple against each other. Kira shifts her head from side to side to avoid bite attempts from the lion and quickly realizes this is not a good idea. She performs a hard flip kick, her Ether Blob smashing a big booted foot into the gut of the lion, who flies up, then darts down at Kira, claws and teeth at the ready. Kira surprises the animal however when she has her Ether Blob snatch him out of the air and slam him to the floor behind her so hard the entire platform shakes and makes Zero stumble, giving Chez Shay's party an opening to hit him with some shots. Glaugan springs to his feet, throws himself at Kira, and manages to slash her side, cutting into her. She lets out a horrible little shriek, looks at the new deep cuts, and tears form in her eyes. She quickly takes out another of Lyla's Health Potions and goes to use it, only for one of the droids to shoot it and shatter it. She cries out in distress, and Lyla sees this. She takes another one out and throws it at Kira. Glaugan snatches it in his jaws mid-air, and Kira, enraged, has her Ether Blob lash out and grab Glaugan by the muzzle. He brings his paws up to try and pry the hand off, but finds it impossible. Kira, tears rolling from the sharp pain of the slashes in her side, screams, "DROP THE POTION! DROP IT OR I SUFFOCATE YOU!" She looks at the flowing blood, tears rolling down her cheeks.

Glaugan relents, and the Ether Blob transfers the potion through its arm to Kira, who quickly uses it to heal her wounds, leaving just the tears in her suit. She shrieks into the air, "I WANT MY CONTOUR BARRIER BACK!" With a roar, she slams Glaugan over herself onto the platform once again. And once again he springs to his feet, lunges at Kira, and attempts to slash her. This time, her Ether Blob blocks with with hardened arms.

In the air, Bella and Teresa are trying to shoot down as many droids as possible. Bella is sweeping Light Blast Beams around with the head of her wrench, and firing bolts of Light from the grappler end in the opposite direction, damaging many droids and destroying some. Teresa is swinging her scepter around, casting off Tar Blobs that foul up droids. She throws a large Tar Blob onto a conveyor belt, and when one of the mechanical arms attempts to grab it, it becomes gummed up, and the entire line starts to back up. Bella casts a Cat Bullet, which starts spraying cat claw bolts at the droids, damaging more. A Camera Drone swoops up and takes a picture, causing Bella to flinch and growl at it. She twirls her wrench around to smash the droid, sending it flying into a factory machine and punching a hole into it. Teresa has a Bone Spike jut up to stab at a droid, but finds this method of attacking ineffective. A droid shoots her in the side, in the same spot she was shot before, and she cries out in pain. She retaliates by gunking up the droid with a Tar Blob. It ends up careening into another droid, which gets stuck. They both tumble, getting stuck to a few other droids, and they all crash down and explode. These shootdowns seem to have little effect on the sheer number of droids however. The next moment, she finds herself facing a formation of Shield Drones. Bella sees them too, and moves beside Teresa. She activates the Spear Card, and nods at Teresa, who returns the nod, knowing what to do. The Shield Drones start shooting at them along with the other droids, and they move as erratically as possible to avoid it. Bella fires Spear Shots, and Teresa flings Bone Spears. These shots pierce through the droids' shields, damaging some and destroying a couple. The droids quickly adapt to this weakness by moving as erratically as possible themselves, to avoid their shots, which end up destroying other droids beyond them. Bella's grappler end continues to fire bolts of Light at other droids behind her as well, and they are dropping like flies with enough damage.

Bridgette fires her Compression Phaser Rifle, hitting the armor plating of the Super Enforcer, and is frustrated by her poor aim. The droid returns fire with Plasma Orbs, but Zan shoots these with his Pulse Rifle to keep them from hitting Bridgette. He gives her a stalwart look, and says, "I'll guard you, you shoot the droid. Damage it enough for me to jump on it and I'll rip out its power core!"

Bridgette grins lovingly, and declares, "My knight in Amethyst Armor!"

Zan gives Bridgette an amused, yet clearly fond look, keeping his eyes on her face despite her exposed breasts, and they focus on taking down the droid. Bridgette fires her rifle, and damages one of the droid's joints. It lashes out a claw, but Zan jumps and ax-kicks the arm to intercept the attack. Bridgette keeps firing her rifle and shoots one of the base joints on the droid, and the entire arm breaks off and crashes onto a smaller droid trying to get a low angle shot at them. Zan shoots a Camera Drone before it can get close enough for a flare, and Bridgette shoots the Super Enforcer, destroying one of its eyes. It crosses its three remaining claws, building up Plasma energy, and swings them outward to release a swirling energy blade of Plasma. Zan grabs Bridgette and carries her in a leap over the huge shot, which ends up destroying one of the conveyor belts, spilling incomplete droids all over the place. Zan lands on the Super Enforcer, and Bridgette shoves her rifle into its top to fire a burst shot that clearly damages the droid. It shudders, and Zan carries Bridgette off of it before it can use another Plasma Discharge to shake them off. It lashes out a claw to slash Zan in the back mid-leap, and he yelps, but his Cybranites mend his wounds over time. He lands, sets Bridgette down, and she turns to shoot at the droid, managing to break off another of its arms. It fires more Plasma Orbs at them, but Zan intercepts these with his Pulse Rifle again. Meanwhile, Bridgette fires her own rifle to hit a connection unit on the droid, and one of its armor plates falls off. Zan sees this as the moment he was waiting for. He leaps at the droid, and Bridgette watches excitedly, as Zan clings to the droid, where he jams his arm into the gap in its components. It smacks him with one of his claws, and he jolts, wincing. Bridgette shoots that arm in the claw joint, and the claw half breaks, hanging freely and unusable. Suddenly the droid flinches, and Zan grins. He yanks his hand out of the droid, clutching its power core. He throws the core away, and it explodes on contact with a different observation platform, obliterating it in a surprisingly potent blast that catches everyone's attention. The Super Enforcer tumbles lifelessly, to the ground, and Bridgette darts over to where it crashes down. She and Zan proceed to literally rip the droid apart, and everyone watches in surprise at the rather ravenous tear-in. Zan yanks out one of his Plasma Cells. He grins widely, causing Bridgette, as well as Kira, Chez Shay and Teresa, to make a similar expression. Zan rips out another Plasma Cell, then a third, then finds Bridgette's scythe buried within the droid's components, and rips it out too, parts flying in every direction. Zan hands it to her, and she takes it, putting away her Compression Phaser Rifle. She looks it over with extreme delight. Zan finally pulls out the last Plasma Cell. He jumps into the air, shoves his foot socket cells into place, then lands beside Bridgette, slaps his left hand cell into place, and then his right. He grabs Bridgette the next instant, twirls her around as she laughs, holds her low as he leans over her, and the two kiss dynamically on the lips. The girls cheer. The two stand straight, and Zan punches his right fist into his left hand, bursting with Plasma energy. He thrusts a fist upward, Bridgette thrusts her scythe upward, and the two create a big orb of Plasma in the air of the factory. It starts shooting Plasma bolts in every direction, taking down scads of the droids. Zero becomes worried at the sight of the unexpectedly great power they hold, with their gear back in their possession. He is shot by Chez Shay during his distraction, and grunts. He turns to attack her.

Kira's mood has improved on seeing Zan and Bridgette rearmed and back to full strength. She lunges at Glaugan, and grabs the lion, then slams him onto the platform. He lashes his claws at her, but her blob blocks the attacks to protect her from any more cuts. He lunges at her suddenly, yanking her out of her blob and onto her back on the floor. He goes to bite her face, but her Ether Blob grabs him by the tail and yanks hard enough to make him yowl. He jumps off of Kira, and her Ether Blob slips around her to lift her back up again. She grins widely at the creature.

Zero, however, is growing impatient with the fliers bombarding him with their projectiles. He warps beside Lyla, grabs her, causing her to squeal, and flings her over himself to the floor. Sasha yelps, and pops him in the side with a bomb, but he lashes his cape out to strike her, and she is thrown against some railing on the observation platform. Lyla crabwalks backwards away from him, and he leaps at her for a flying punch, but Chez Shay flies into his path and blocks the attack with her Gunbrella. He instantly follows up with a roundhouse kick that sends her flying over the side and onto a conveyor belt. She yelps when a large press comes down toward her, but Zan comes flying in, kicks the press and nearly breaks it completely free from its piston. He grabs Chez Shay, leaps off the conveyor belt, and sets her on her feet. She gives him an enamored look, and he just smiles at her gently. He then creates an orb of Plasma, Chez Shay aims her Gunbrella at Zero, and they both shoot at him. He is struck by these attacks, and warps away, only to appear in front of Bridgette. He goes to kick her, but she parries this with her scythe, and turns it to slash him in the chest. He grunts, and warps backwards away from her. Lyla climbs back on to her carpet, activates an Arrow Skill Card, and resumes shooting at him with these direct shots. Amidst all of this, the storm of droid projectiles has become much reduced thanks to Bella's and Teresa's efforts, as well as the big Plasma Orb Zan and Bridgette created.

However, more droids just keep appearing from the machines that are building them. Bella fires a Spear shot that passes through several droids, ruining them and sending them tumbling. Two more droids emerge from a couple of machines and start shooting at her. Teresa flings a Bone Spear to pierce through a Shield Drone and destroy a Camera Drone beyond it. Three Camera Drones swoop in to flurry around like gnats. Bella creates another big cross-slash of Light that sends droids flying, but gets shot, terminating her Spear Card effect. Teresa flings out a Tar Blob to gunk up a droid, and swerves hard with a yelp to avoid a shot from another droid. She ends up getting blinded briefly by a Camera Drone, and growls in frustration. She smacks the droid away with her scepter and rubs her eyes. A call from Bella causes Teresa to suddenly dash straight up just in time to avoid being shot by a charged shot from several droids that had been hanging back. Bella fires more Cat Bullets to damage them, but they just keep coming. Bella exclaims in frustration, "There's... just no END to them!"

Teresa rubs her eyes a little more, then notices something amidst all the factory machinery, and mutters, "Wait... What's that?"

Bella, not hearing Teresa, keeps shooting at the droids, until she notices Teresa fly toward what has caught her attention. On one side of the factory, is a large, cylindrical machine that is surging with immense energy. Teresa flies up to the machine, and looks over it. It is festooned with thick cords leading along walls and conduits into other machines, and judging by the twitching gauges, it appears to be a power core for the factory. What is curious, however, is how the machine's gauges seem to be going beyond the limits. And yet, the machine, clearly in overdrive, is not malfunctioning, but instead seems to be feeding tons of abnormally high power to the rest of the factory. This is resulting in an acceleration of production beyond normal. Then something glints, and catches Teresa's particular attention. She floats closer, peering inside a small window slot in the core. Her eyes widen, and her pupils shrink. Her mouth falls open, and she lets out a very audible gasp that rises in pitch. She ends the inhaling, with a loud laughing squeal of excitement not unlike what she made when she got her scepter back, and once again, everyone's attention is caught, including Zero, Glaugan, and the droids. Zero immediately realizes what Teresa has found, and his eyes widen. Bella exclaims worriedly, "Teresa?!"

Within the small window, is a small, disc-shaped device: The Contour Barrier projector. Currently hooked up to the machine, it is providing power for the core to transmit to the rest of the factory. There are four other slots around the machine with the other four Contour Barrier devices hooked in place. Teresa swings around and squeals as loudly and as excitedly as she can, "CONTOUR BARRIERS! I FOUND THEM I FOUND THEM I FOUND THEEEM! I TOTALLY FOUND OUR CONTOUR BARRIERS!"

The Hysteria Icon forms in Zan's cybernetic eye. Bridgette and Kira become hysterical too, and break into cackling. Bella's eyes widen, and she grins. Chez Shay and Lyla also become excited, but quite a bit less so. They, along with Sasha and The Beast, flinch rather hard when EVERYONE launches off of the platform, speeding toward the machine, with Bridgette being the only one to jump along various platforms to get there. Zero darts to the edge of the platform and prepares to pursue them, when Chez Shay and The Beast drop down in front of him, attacks at the ready. With a wide, malevolent grin of sharp teeth, Chez Shay shouts, "Where do you think YOU'RE going?!" and fires volleys of rockets, while The Beast flings missiles. Zero, aggravated, protects himself with a Void barrier, but gets popped in the side by a bomb from Sasha, and Lyla's Arrow shots pelt him. He lashes his cape out at Chez Shay, who backs up quickly, laughing at him.

Teresa is practically bouncing in place when the others arrive. They see their Contour Barrier devices inside the slots. Zan jumps on his GravBoard to get closer, and punches clean into one of the slots. He grabs the device, and yanks it out. He takes just a second to give it a loving look, then moves around and punches into the other four slots to yank out the other Contour Barrier devices. The moment he does, the power core dies, and the entire factory's production slows dramatically, though it does not stop. Zan tosses the devices into the air, and Bella, Teresa, Kira and Bridgette snatch them, laughing excitedly.

Zan pulls open his suit jacket, and slaps the device onto the inner lining. Bridgette takes off her hat, and sticks the device to the inside of it. Bella opens her rear pouch, and attaches the device to its back surface. Teresa takes off her Bejeweled Varkolyn Skull, and places the device under the bow she wears beneath the ornament. Kira reaches in through the tear on the side of her suit that Glaugan made, and attaches the device to the low, center back of her suit on the inside. All five of them briefly become engulfed in visible energy barriers, which quickly become invisible, and the five of them perform a group high five. Bella declares, "We're BACK in BUSINESS everyone!"

Kira exclaims, "Let's kick NESTS ass outta here!"

Bridgette proclaims "We're gonna make them PAY for all this trouble!"

Zan cheers, "Fantastic job finding them, Teresa!"

Teresa holds a hand in front of her mouth as she lets out her big haughty laugh, "OH-HOHOHO!"

Chez Shay, The Beast, Lyla and Sasha watch this with delight. And if ever there was a time for Zero to form an "Oh crap" expression, it's now. They watch as Bella and Teresa fly into the air toward Zero. Kira comes flying in with her Ether Blob and GravPack. Zan grabs Bridgette, and leaps off of his GravBoard, which disappears, and he flips through the air with her, to land on the platform, setting her down the next instant, her visible breasts bouncing from the landing, where she readies her scythe. The droids never stopped shooting at the group. Glaugan leaps in suddenly, and attempts to slash Kira, but her Contour Barrier absorbs the strike, and she punches him with a hard thrust, throwing him back, where The Beast strikes him with a missile. Kira is shot by one of the droids, but her barrier blocks the shot, and she grabs a conveniently-close wrecked droid to chuck at the shooter in reaction, smashing it down. Zan and Bridgette lunge at Zero, who throws a preemptive punch that Zan blocks with crossed arms, and his Contour Barrier absorbs the hit. Bridgette strikes Zero with her scythe, injuring him and shocking him with Voltage. He throws a hard kick, striking Bridgette, but she just staggers and her barrier absorbs it. She is shot by a droid the next instant, and responds by launching a Chain Lightning bolt that hits the droid and four others after it, destroying all of them. Lyla resumes pelting Zero with her Arrow shots, and Zan throws a Plasma-empowered punch, striking Zero across the chin, causing him to jolt. Bella swoops by overhead, firing a Light Blast Beam, that is trailed with the highly-damaging Light explosions, while also firing bolts of Light at the remaining droids, and Zero warps out of the way. Chez Shay joins The Beast and Kira in fighting Glaugan, who lunges at Chez Shay, only for Kira to grab the lion by his hind legs and bring him down to the ground with force, then flip him over herself to the other side. He jolts from the crash-down, and Kira is shot again. She ignores it as Glaugan scrambles back to his feet and lunges at her with a vicious roar. He rakes his claws across the chest section of her Contour Barrier, and she has her Ether Blob clap its muscular hands on the lion's head, stunning him. Chez Shay and The Beast pelt him with ballistics, annoying Kira, who finds their support to be disruptive more than anything. She shouts, "You two can leave this thing to me! Go start tearing up the factory!"

Chez Shay just nods with a lunatic grin, and responds, "I thought you'd never ask!"

Kira folds her arms, and retorts, "I didn't ask you, I TOLD you."

Chez Shay gives her an annoyed look, then huffs, and replies, "...Well this one time, I can accept that. HAHAHAHA!" She turns her rocket launcher on the factory itself, spraying rockets. "YAR!" The Beast shouts, flinging missiles around, their ballistics destroying droids and droid-making machines and setting fire to the factory.

Teresa is scattering Tar Blobs everywhere to screw up droids, and throws one at Zero. She gets shot by a droid, flinches out of surprise, and casts a Bone Spear to destroy it. The Tar Blob sticks to Zero's back, and distracts him long enough for Bridgette and Zan to hit him with Plasma bolts, igniting the tar. He yelps, and promptly warps out of the tar to escape the Fire damage, only to appear right in front of Sasha, and be popped in the face by one of her bombs. He throws a punch that sends her flying with a squeal, but Zan leaps onto his GravBoard, swoops around and catches her. He holds her against his chest as he flies back around to hand her to Lyla, then leaps off of his GravBoard for a flying, Plasma-empowered kick. Lyla notices that Sasha has a blush, and giggles softly. Bella suddenly desends beside Lyla, the two girls still airborne, and orders, "Lyla, start helping Chez Shay deal with the droids and the factory itself!"

Lyla feels much more confident doing this, and nods. She and Sasha start flying about, firing shots to destroy droids and damage the factory. Sasha's bombs are particularly potent against the machines. Meanwhile, Zero lashes out his cape in response to Zan's kick, and the two attacks clash. Zan backflips out of it, and scatters a bunch of Plasma Orbs at Zero. At the same time, Bridgette leaps in and swings her scythe to create a massive sweep of Plasma. Both attacks hit Zero, and send him flying into the air, where Teresa takes the opportunity to pierce him with a Bone Spear. He hits the platform, and flips to his feet, but now there is blood oozing from his mouth and he has more wounds. Bella moves down in front of him, aiming the grappler end of her wrench at him to charge a powerful Light element shot. He leaps into a Cutting Swallow attack, and Bella yelps. Her charge is interrupted, and her barrier crackles visibly as it absorbs the entire attack. Bella resorts to twirling the wrench under herself to smack Zero and make him stagger back, then backs away from him. She turns her attention to Kira's fighting Glaugan, and gets a soft look of distress. Behind Bella, Zan is throwing Plasma Orbs all over the place to bring down droids, and Bridgette is casting fourth Chain Lightning for the same purpose. Chez Shay, The Beast, Lyla and Sasha, too, are destroying any droids that attempt to pester them.

Glaugan yowls as Kira grabs him, lifts him into the air and brings him crashing down head first to the platform, causing Bella to flinch in disturbance. Glaugan bounces in recoil, and Kira whirls around with a forceful yell to smash him with a powerful backhand slam that sends him flying off the platform and onto a slowly-moving conveyor belt. Bella moves out toward him. He clambers to his feet, and blinks when he finds Bella moving down to look at him more closely. She softly comments, "Such a pretty kitty..." She touches his muzzle gently, giving him a look of deep admiration, and sweetly says, "Won't you help me instead? I'd love to have you help me instead of that evil NESTS bureaucrat..."

Glaugan gives her an incredulous look, and snorts. He has had enough for now, though, and turns to retreat back through the portal he uses to enter and exit areas. Bella watches him go, and sighs sadly.

Zero forms a stern frown, as he sees Glaugan flee, the droids crashing down from Lyla's and Sasha's counterfire, the factory collapsing and burning from Chez Shay's and The Beast's rampage, and Zan, Bridgette, Bella, Teresa and Kira closing in on him. With a huff, he warps off the platform and down toward the inner exit of the factory. Kira grits her teeth in aggravation, and shouts, "Gah! There he goes again!"

Bella points dynamically and exclaims, "After him!"

The group rushes across the platform and down its ramp at the end. There are still a few remaining droids shooting at them, and Chez Shay, Lyla and Bella return fire with shots of their own. Teresa blinks when an idea pops into her mind. She speaks up, "Hey, Chez Shay? Let's finish this place off ourselves and show everyone something really amazing."

Chez Shay gives her a curious look, and responds, "What'chu got on your mind, pigtails?"

Teresa's pigtails twitch slightly for some reason. She says, "I just came up with a brilliant idea. Give me one of your grenades, and have your rabbit use one of his huge missiles like the one he made back in the town!"

The Beast grins, and creates a huge missile like before. He holds it over his head. Chez Shay hands over a grenade. Teresa focuses her power into her scepter, and thrusts it with a squeak, creating a very large Tar Pit. The others watch this. Teresa gives them an ominous look, and instructs, "When I throw this, you throw the missile to the other side of the factory!"

The Beast exaggeratedly salutes. "ROGER!" he responds enthusiastically.

Teresa faces the Tar Pit she created, and with a devious little grin, she exclaims, "Goodbye, annoying robot factory!"

She pulls the pin of the grenade to initiate its fuse. She chucks it into her Tar Pit, and The Beast throws his missile. The Alarm Icon immediately takes over Zan's cybernetic eye, and he yelps, "Holy CRAP! EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY!"

Chez Shay's eyes flare wide when she realizes what's about to happen. She cackles, "HA! HAHAHA! YOU WEREN'T KIDDING! HOW BRILLIANT IS THAT?!" "NUCLEAR FIREWORKS!" The Beast adds in insane excitement.

The group scrambles for the inner door that Zero has escaped through. They reach it just as The Beast's missile strikes one of the machines and explodes in a humongous blast. The next instant, the grenade explodes, and causes the entire Tar Pit to go up in a massive mushroom cloud blast. These explosions destroy or scatter all the remaining droids, and practically obliterate the factory. Bella's group charges out of the doorway and into the inner corridor just in time to avoid the rush of flames that blaze through the door and scorch the opposite wall. It still blows them over from the sheer force of displaced air. The moment after, Bridgette jumps to her feet, her bare breasts bouncing excitedly, but she is far from pleased, as she snarls, "Are you INSANE, Teresa? That could have blown all of us away!"

Teresa climbs to her feet, brushes herself off, puts her arms akimbo confidently and replies, "Not with our Contour Barriers!"

Bella gets up, and moves close. Out of concern, she agrees with the others, "They aren't completely invincible and you know that!"

Zan climbs up, and helps Lyla up too. She is quite overwhelmed by the whole thing, and trembles for a moment. He looks at Teresa softly, but slightly disapprovingly, and remarks, "I will have to admit, that was overkill..."

Chez Shay is the only one extremely delighted by the whole thing. She taps her shoulder with her Gunbrella again as she speaks up, "Ah, but there's no kill LIKE overkill, AMIRITE?" "YOO EEZ RITE!" The Beast immediately responds. Kira stays silent, everyone else having already said anything she would have wanted to say.

Zero sees this, and feels the entire base shudder from the twin blasts. He frowns, knowing that the entire base is now in critical condition, yet maintains his composure, also knowing that he hasn't lost yet. The droids are gone, the Kyo clones are evacuated, and Glaugan is recovering again, but Zero is aware of something that keeps him from becoming bothered by everything that's happening. He turns to warp onward away from the group, through the inner corridor. All of the doors are now unlocked, and the barriers are down, as a standard response to the base being on fire. The group spots him warp down the corridor, and turns to pursue him. As they run, Zan continues to talk to Teresa, saying, "I will also admit, Teresa, that this idea about deliberately creating explosions with your Tar Pits is intriguing. I'll do some research and see if there's a way to make that into an actual skill for you."

Teresa forms a big, proud grin that she makes sure everyone can see, and chirps, "Yes, master!"

Bridgette gives Zan a skeptical look, but with a smirk of amusement, and mutters, "...Trust a guy to decide that exploding Tar Pits would be a good idea."

Kira, however, is also somewhat intrigued by the potential, and comments, "There's a surprising amount of logic in that, actually."

Lyla looks back at the scorched corridor behind them, and timidly replies, "I guess so... If an explosion is controllable, it can be used, right Sasha?" "Right! Like my bombs!" The two nod, having come to the same conclusion.

Teresa feels incredibly proud of herself, and the group's morale is at its peak now that they are back to their full potential. It is finally time for them to accomplish what they originally came here for, and they know this. Bella, Teresa, Zan, Bridgette, Kira, Lyla, Sasha, Chez Shay and The Beast speed around the corridor after Zero and spot him reach an innermost door. He opens it, passes a stern look at them, then rushes in. The group comes to a stop before reaching this door. Zan looks forward at the door cautiously, and states, "That's the center of this base. We can expect this to be where Zero takes his last stand. We need to be prepared for anything."

Bella's group keeps away from the door for the moment, and she responds, "Right. ...Everyone take a moment to steady yourselves. This isn't even the final battle, since the Interdimensional Static isn't here, so we do need to conserve our stamina a bit longer."

Everyone clusters around Zan, the fliers setting their feet on the floor. Zan releases some Tranquility energy upon the group, and they breathe to calm down and rest. As they do this, Zan uses his materializers to repair everyone's clothing damage, including his own. The big tears in Kira's suit are closed up, the long tear down the center of Chez Shay's dress is closed, Zan's suit tears are repaired, and Bridgette's top is fixed. She leaves her breasts exposed even after Zan repairs her top, and gives him a flirty little look. Once again, she teasingly says, "How about I just leave them like this, now that I have my Contour Barrier?"

Zan sighs, but is smiling, and allows himself to admire the lovely formations of female beauty. He then focuses his eyes on her face, and her beautiful purple eyes, and responds, "I love your breasts, Bridgette, but seriously, right now?"

Bridgette pouts, and pulls her top up to just barely secure her breasts again. She tilts her head to one side, then the other, as she teases, "Fine, fine. I'll just have to pay you back for that later when I finally get to take a shower."

Chez Shay and The Beast form very big grins. Teresa and Bella become very amused. Lyla forms a strong blush, wondering what Bridgette meant by that. Sasha is just confused. Kira just rolls her eyes, though it is evident she is amused too. Zan gives Bridgette a teasingly cautious look, pretending to be very wary. Their spirits good, and their energy burning, the group readies themselves. Bridgette remembers something at this moment, and speaks up, "Oh, and, Bella, here." She takes out and gives Bella back the Compression Phaser Rifle, and remarks, "I prefer my scythe over anything, but that really came in handy."

Bella smiles warmly, accepting the precious weapon back, and replies, "I'm glad it did." She puts it away in her large rear pouch, and adds, "Now would be a good time to thank you all for your help."

Teresa places a hand on the side of Bella's arm and quickly states, "No, Bella, don't say that now. Save that for when we get home. Otherwise you might jinx the situation."

Bella gives her a skeptical look and responds, "...There's no such thing as 'jinxing'." Teresa just gives her a soft shrug.

Lyla is very nervous, even after Zan's gift of Tranquility, and inquires, "Zan, what do you think we can expect?"

Zan slowly passes his gaze across the group as he warns, "Well, now that we're at full power, and Zero is more or less cornered, he will probably try to hit us with some very hard attacks. He probably has an escape plan too, though. And since this isn't the location of the Interdimensional Static, it is very likely we'll have to chase him yet again."

Kira seems relieved, for some reason, and looks up and around at the walls of the corridor, as she asks, "Do you think we'll finally be leaving this base?"

Zan nods quickly, and replies, "I definitely think so. And hopefully, the destruction of this base will mean that the jamming frequency over Eihemland will be shut down. I already know it's coming from this base, but it must be in another sector we haven't accessed."

Chez Shay is rapidly tapping her foot, an eye twitches, her trigger finger super itchy, and she chatters, "Come on, come on, come oooon then! Let's kick some Zero butt!"

Bella gives her a wary look, but is also quite eager to get a move on. She looks at everyone else, and checks, "...Is everyone ready?" They acknowledge, and prepare their weapons. Bella nods, producing a confident look, and exclaims, "Alright! Let's go!"

The group charges through the doorway, onward to face Zero.

~Waypoint 19: Zero Hazard~

The moment the group charges through the doorway, they stop and find themselves having entered a large, posh office. They take only a moment to look around, noticing the extremely high-quality furniture, including an overly large desk with a chair that highly resembles a throne set behind it. The office even has a chandelier, albeit a small one, hanging from the ceiling. Unlike the midnight blues of the rest of the base, this office is decorated largely in royal reds. There is a large computer control station off to one side, with numerous monitors, only half of them working now, displaying various views within the base, including the southeastern corridor where Bella's group first entered. And standing before the group, in front of the desk, is Zero. He stands there, arms folded, looking as confident as ever. His expression is neither of pleasure or disturbance however, but it seems clear that he was waiting for them. Kira remains distracted by the overly-high quality of the chamber for a moment more, and remarks, "Geez, presidential suite, much?"

Everyone focuses their attention on Zero, weapons at the ready. Zan punches a fist into a hand, crackling with Plasma energy. Teresa's scepter is dripping with tar. Bella's wrench hums with Light energy. Chez Shay and Lyla stand ready with polar opposite demeanors; Chez Shay is ready to kick ass, Lyla is expecting her ass to be kicked. The Beast and Sasha float by their respective mistresses, awaiting the storm. Kira bobs up and down mildly atop her Ether Blob, arms folded. Bridgette holds her scythe firm, and an arc of Voltage darts from one point of her body to another. The girls tense to lunge at Zero, when he raises a hand into a gesture to stop, and a small sneer forms on his face. They do halt at the sight of this, and Zero narrows his eyes a bit, as he comments, "Fandango, you might want to rein in your overzealous ladies just a little bit."

Zan sniffs, and passes an amused glance at Bella, who returns the glance with a similar one of her own. He rolls his hand dismissively, and responds, "Bella's in charge here, not me."

Bella give Zero a glare, replies, "What of it?" and keeps her wrench at the ready.

Zero proceeds to point to his left. Everyone looks, and the girls gasp, when they see a man in royal raiment standing within a holding cell sealed by a transparent energy barrier. He looks a little distressed, but also curious as to what is happening here now. Bella stares in shock, and, initially hesitating, she exclaims, "That's... the head magistrate of the Eihemland royal council!"

Zero puts his arms back into a fold, and that little sneer of his fades away, back to his usual cool demeanor, as he declares, "Indeed. Unfortunately for you all, your little rampage ends here and now. Do not attack me any more, or else this extremely valuable man to the Eihemland government will perish."

Everyone gives Zero a furious look, and the Anger Icon is in Zan's cybernetic eye. They stand very tense still, and Chez Shay and Kira both emit low snarls. Chez Shay in particular grits her teeth as an eye twitches, and she growls, "You... BASTARD..."

Lyla is staring nervously at the imprisoned magistrate, and whimpers, "This is really bad..."

Teresa is more curious than disturbed, and inquires, "That man's clearly very important, isn't he?"

Bella slowly shifts her gaze between the magistrate and Zero, now unsure of what action to take, and explains, "He is... The Chief Magistrate of the Eihemland royal council has a direct position next to the king himself... No wonder the kingdom so quickly succumbed to NESTS' control."

Zero coolly orders, "Drop your weapons now." The girls glower, but do not actually drop them. They just lower them cautiously. Zero develops a frown, and repeats, "I said, drop them."

Kira shakes a fist as she responds, "I'm SITTING on my weapon. I can't 'drop' it."

Bridgette, her purple eyes quivering with anger, hisses, "That wouldn't do you any good anyway, you bastard. We can fight even without them."

Zero rolls his eyes with a scoff, then speaks arrogantly, highlighted with grandiose gestures, "Oh, I am well aware of that. For a bunch of children, you did a remarkable job of ruining this base. However, you should know that I allowed you all to do as such. For you see, this was all an elaborate backup plan in case the Kyo clone troops couldn't apprehend you. Do you really think we didn't know about that ancient dungeon that one of our base's very doors was connected to? We figured you would find a covert way to access the base, and I implemented that into my plan. You were ALLOWED to roam our base. I ALLOWED you to reclaim your gear. I even allowed you to win those fights. But it ends here. You are my prisoners now, along with this magistrate, and you will soon feel nothing but despair as we take your gear away from you once again."

Half of the girls are frightened by this, the other half angered. Bridgette just continues to glower, Teresa has started to sweat a little, Lyla looks very upset, Kira just scowls, Sasha is quite worried. Zan just appears to be observing with stern silence. Once again, Bella has grown quite distressed herself. Having come so far, only to face defeat so suddenly, her thoughts fret, (No way! ...This can't be happening! Was all that work for nothing?! No, I can't let him intimidate me like this. There's nine of us, and one of him. We can take him. But that magistrate... We can't do anything! I don't know what to do!)

Kira responds to Zero's arrogant monologue with her own arrogant quip, "Oh I'm so sure."

Chez Shay swipes and thrusts her Gunbrella at Zero as she shouts, "Screw your 'elaborate backup plans', T-Bone! We'll take you down so fast you won't even HAVE the time to kill that dude!" "GRAR!" The Beast snarls in addition.

Zan suddenly speaks up in a calm tone with an easing gesture, "Slow down, girls, just a little bit..." He focuses on Zero, and standing firm, he states, "Zero, if you believe you have won, then allow us the dignity of requesting some information."

The girls flinch. Bella gives Zan a mortified look, believing him to be accepting defeat, which is completely out of character for him, and starts, "Zan?! What are you... saying..?" As she stares at him, she notices a very distinctive glint in his cybernetic eye. She, and most of the others, realize at that moment that Zan is stalling for time while he develops a solution to this hostage situation. She quickly gets on track and starts behaving similarly, muttering, "...Yeah... Ok..." She eyes him trustingly, however, and thinks, (I need to be confident in Zan. This is the exact kind of situation where I would have needed him anyway. I know he'll come up with a good plan.)

Zero lifts his chin in pleasure at seeing what he believes is submission, and replies, "I suppose I can allow that. You did fight valiantly enough to earn the right to learn some things about your captors, and you certainly can't use any of it against us."

Zan slowly nods, his face as firm and collected as usual, and says, "Thank you. Zero, do your bosses know exactly what Interdimensional Static is? How long have they been taking advantage of it? How many other realms have you invaded?"

Zero looks off to the side in thought, causing Chez Shay, The Beast and Kira to twitch, itching with desire to lash out, but they hold themselves back. He momentarily answers, "Hm. I suppose it has been a year or so since we discovered Interdimensional Static, and with Dantalion's help, learned the exact nature of it and its trait of leading to other realms. I would surmise that we have breached at least a dozen realms, but if our researchers are correct, there are virtually infinitely more than just those. It takes time, after all."

Kira narrows an eye on once again hearing that peculiar name, and suddenly becomes more interested in asking her own question, "Who the heck is this 'Dantalion' character?"

Zan passes a glance at the magistrate, who is observing the situation, hoping beyond hope that he is about to be saved.

Zero calmly replies with mild gestures of a hand, "Ah yes, he is a relatively new member of NESTS, a brilliant but very much insane scientist who gave himself the title of the 'Seeking Researcher'. He claims he is a 'Crimson Denizen', and we encountered him during our early studies of Interdimensional Static. He has been a boon to our research ever since."

Kira sniffs, annoyed by the fact that all scientists seem to be insane to some degree, and remarks, "That explains the kooks we had to fight in that laboratory."

Zero returns his focus to Zan, who quickly returns his eyes to the enemy before them, and Zero says, "As for your first question, we know what Interdimensional Static is enough to use it as a tool in our conquests, and that is all that matters."

Bridgette shakes her head slowly at first, then starts into a tirade, "You are a fool. You ALL are fools! You have no idea what you're doing! You will not GET to complete your conquest if you destroy the multiverse first! And on top of that, you're a coward. A dirty coward who has to resort to using a royal official as a meat shield to protect your sorry hide from us!" Zero huffs, his attention diverted again.

Zan passes a glance at Teresa. She is quite nervous, and has fallen silent out of fear of losing her precious gear again. Fortunately, she need not say anything, as Chez Shay grabs all the attention again, "A bunch of GIRLS, no less," she adds to amplify Bridgette's insult. The Beast forms a sharp grin as he throws in his two cents, "HAW! HIDING FROM GIRLS!" He cackles gratingly.

Zero just huffs again, and feels the need to point out, "Now, first off, I am not using him as a 'meat shield', as that would imply I would need something to protect myself directly from harm. As you can see, I hardly need protection from your pathetic toys."

Lyla blinks, and looks at her Tambourines. She whimpers, "He must mean my Tambourines... I like my Tambourines..." "Shhh..." Sasha gently shushes, and Lyla whimpers a little more.

Zero gestures toward the prison cell, and the man within, as he continues, "Second, as you can see, the magistrate has been with me all along. I did not bring him out for the explicit purpose of stopping you, but rather, lead you here to learn that he has been in my hold from the beginning. Thus, I prefer the term 'bargaining chip'. Your cooperation, for his safety."

Bella gives Zero an angry glare as she replies, "I thought as much..."

Bridgette rests her scythe on her shoulder and looks to the side in disdain as she adds, "No less cowardly."

Zan's glance moves between the magistrate and Teresa...

Zero, wrapped up in his talkativeness, brimming with confidence in the situation, does not notice Zan's analytical behavior, as he resumes, "Lastly, I would really rather not have to kill the man, as he is very significant to our control of the Eihemland government. That, and has been good company during my stay here."

The magistrate, his hope at a rescue growing still, retorts, "A captive audience, more like, to your incessant prattling about the conquests of your realm-consuming ambitions."

"You are a good listener, at any rate," Zero retorts with an annoying smirk. The magistrate huffs.

Bella passes a glance at Zan, having taken note of the fact he hasn't said a word since he started the dialogue, and muses, (Zan's gotten very quiet... He probably needs just a little more time...) She turns her attention back to Zero to help Zan with the delay, and speaks on the first thing that comes to mind, "Zero, we already know the Interdimensional Static is not in this base. Won't you tell us where it is, exactly?"

Zero gives her a very incredulous look, and replies, "Now THAT, I'm afraid, I cannot tell you, since it is for the best you never know how terribly far off track you've been, as tempting as it would be to reveal how poorly you have performed in your little mission. All I can say is, we have a second base in Eihemland. This one you've so badly ruined, is just our expansion, and the Static is housed securely within the first one."

Zan inches sideways toward Teresa.

Kira is more distracted by the foolishness of trying to wield Interdimensional Static with as little experience as NESTS has, and lectures, "You can't 'house securely' Interdimensional Static. It's not some kind of animal you can just put in a cage. It can change status in an instant, and annihilate your base on the spot."

Zero looks to the side again, failing to notice Zan's subtle movements, and responds, "Oh, believe me, we have had a tough time maintaining control over it, but we HAVE succeeded, child."

Kira growls, her eye twitching on hearing that word, and she snaps, "Do NOT call me that."

Chez Shay becomes distracted, pokes Kira, and snarks, "But you ARE a child, right?"

Kira swats at Chez Shay, causing the others to flinch, and she shouts, "I'm just stuck in a child's body!"

Chez Shay snerks, giving Kira an extremely wry look, and says, "What, how old do you actually think you are?" She pinches Kira's cheek to tug at it, and Kira slaps her hand angrily. Zero finds himself astonished at this banter amidst the danger they are in.

Lyla, with great trepidation, pleads softly, "Mr. Zero, what are you going to do to Eihemland? Please don't hurt anyone else..." Sasha is amazed Lyla could say anything at all.

Zero gives the group a disdainful stare, then starts into a monologue, "...Do you know what exactly you all are? Ants. You are ants crawling about feebly on the great stepping stones that are the worlds set before us, leading us on the path of our conquest campaign. And just like ants, you will be crushed under our feet. You may bite your mandibles into our boots, but will we feel it? No."

The magistrate slowly brings a hand to his face in exasperation as he groans, "Oh great... Here he goes again..."

Zan has moved next to Teresa, and she instinctively moves against him, taking hold of one of his hands, as it makes her feel more secure.

Zero continues his monologue, pacing about before the group with elegant gestures, "With the discovery of Interdimensional Static as a tool of access to unlimited worlds, we have taken our old, admittedly modest goals of world-domination, and expanded them beyond horizons we could never have imagined. We shall take control of ALL the realms of the multiverse. With our power, our troops, and our growing array of technological rewards we have reaped from the realms we have reached into, nothing can stand in our way. Your precious Eihemland is just another piece of the puzzle that shall become the grand portrait of the destiny that is NESTS' Multidimensional Conquest."

The magistrate is squeezing the bridge of his nose between two fingers, eyes closed in exhaustion. The girls stand there, staring at Zero. Chez Shay rests her Gunbrella on her shoulder, giving him a very pitiful look, and remarks, "Nice speech, T-Bone."

Zero flinches, looks directly at her with a slight shake of his head, and reacts, "Why do you keep calling me that?"

In a tone of absolute scorn, Bridgette chides, "Whooo... Another 'take over the world' scheme. Haven't heard that one before."

Kira has a look of exasperation similar to the magistrate's, as she responds to the whole idea, "Do you realize what your conquest entails? You wouldn't even LIVE long enough to conquer less than one percent of ONE PERCENT to the power of INFINITY of the realms of the Multiverse!"

Sasha as a curiously cute look as she comments, "I will admit that your analogy of referring to the Multiverse as a Jigsaw Puzzle was rather neat, though."

Zero folds his arms once again, looking down upon the group as he taunts, "And yet you still struggle to resist us. If you, too, claim to be the saviors of the multiverse, how do you hope to save it from all the forces you oppose?"

Bridgette resolutely replies, "We do what we can, and that's all that matters!"

As all of this conversing goes on, Zan has fallen eerily quiet. He has sidled up next to Teresa. Still holding her hand to comfort her, he leans a little closer, and whispers, "Teresa..."

She whispers back nervously, "Yes, master?" "Do you think you can create another Tar Portal like the one you used to save yourself that one time in Neverland, and then again here to save us from Kusanagi?" Zan carefully inquires beneath the volume of the conversation.

Teresa lets out a soft grunt, blinks, looks at the magistrate, then her scepter, and finally mumbles, "...I... I think so."

Zan instructs softly, "Create one under that magistrate, and transport him out of that cell and into our midst."

Teresa is stunned for just a moment. In her mind, this idea is sheer brilliance. That, and there's the fact it lets her be the hero of the situation. She quickly forms a big grin as her confidence spikes, and she raises her scepter suddenly. Everyone, including Zero, flinches, and looks at her. She gestures with the scepter for a second. They flinch again when they hear the magistrate cry out. They look, and see that a Tar Pit has formed within the holding cell, and the magistrate has fallen in. Teresa keeps gesturing with her scepter, and the Tar Pit reaches up like a big mouth, swallowing the magistrate, who yelps in terror. The next moment, a Tar Pit forms beside Teresa and the group. The magistrate pops up from it with another yelp, and finds himself on solid ground right amidst the girls. Shocked at first, he has no idea what has happened, but quickly realizes that he has been freed from the holding cell.

The girls are stunned, then bust out laughing. Chez Shay cackles wildly, "WHOA! WAY TA GO, PIGTAILS!" The Beast exclaims with his own cackling, "SLICK! OIL SLICK!"

Teresa puts her arms akimbo, eyes closed with a very proud look, as she replies, "Tar, actually. OH-HOHOHO!" She grins at Zan, and he is very charmed by her little laugh, but also very pleased by her successful rescue.

Zero's eyes widen in horror, and he reacts, "No... NO!" He suddenly surges with energy, causing the group to jump in surprise. "You can NOT have just done that! That man is KEY to our control here! Your interference will ruin everything we've worked hard for! YOU SHALL BE CRUSHED LIKE THE ANTS YOU ARE!" he bellows, his composure shattered just like that.

Bridgette is now grinning, her weapon and power at the ready, as she disrespectfully remarks, "I was wondering what it would take to break that cool composure of yours."

Chez Shay has a cruel sneer, as she comments, "Looks like the big boss man doesn't take loss of control very well." "IT'S CLOBBERIN' TIME!" The Beast snarls, forming some missiles over his head right away.

Zero is now completely enraged, surging with Void energy, and he shouts, "Glaugan! Return and help me eradicate these ruinous children!"

Glaugan's roar is heard, and he leaps into the office through a black portal. Zero strikes an attack stance, surging Void energy intensifying, teeth gritted in anger. Zan and the girls take on their own battle-ready postures. Zero and Glaugan launch toward the group to attack. Zan and Kira launch toward Zero, Kira shouting a battle cry, Zan frowning firmly with the Determination Icon. Bridgette moves forward behind them, surging with her own energy, ready to dish out elemental attacks. Bella takes to the air on her staff, and Chez Shay jumps on her vacuum cleaner to take airborne aim with her Gunbrella. Lyla pulls out her flying carpet, to join the others in the air. The Beast and Sasha stay by their mistresses. Teresa hangs back. The magistrate flinches when a large cage of bone suddenly forms around him, and he looks at Teresa fearfully. He notices, though, that she is giving him a reassuring, if a bit smug, look. He realizes that this cage is for his own protection, as the battle begins anew. He slowly nods in confirmation.

Zero throws a headlong punch at Zan, and nails him square in the face, but Zan's Contour Barrier takes the brunt of the hit, though he gets instantly knocked onto his back. Kira retaliates to this with a powerful shove of her Ether Blob's muscular arms to force Zero back, where he staggers. Zan throws himself feet first at Zero, striking him and jolting him with Plasma energy, but Zero immediately counters by thrusting a hand upward, creating a column of Void energy that sends Zan flying to the ceiling, where he shatters the chandelier to pieces. As the bits rain down on the group, Bridgette casts forth a big bolt of Plasma energy, but Zero blocks it with his cape, then lashes the cape out to slash Kira. Her barrier takes the hit, and she recalls the amount of pain she felt when he managed to actually cut her. She feels incredible gratitude for the Contour Barrier now, and never again will doubt it. She counters this by grabbing Zero with her Ether Blob's hands, and flinging him upward, where Zan dive-kicks from the ceiling to strike him, and the two crash to the ground. Zero kicks Zan off of him, flips to his feet, and gets shot by some claw-shaped shots from a Cat Bullet Bella has launched his way. He lashes his cape out to strike the Cat Bullet itself and destroy it, but gets struck from above by a bolt of Plasma from Bridgette, which Zan promptly follows up with a hard, Plasma-empowered left-hook. Zero staggers, frowning angrily, and claps his hands together. Three discs of Void energy form in the air, and several small crystals form around them, turning the discs into lenses. The three discs begin firing a continuous stream of Void energy, one on Zan, one on Kira, and one on Bridgette. Their barriers absorb the beams, but they still jump about to try to avoid them. Zero lashes his cape out to slash Zan, who jolts, and Zero follows up with a Cutting Swallow attack. Zan dives to the ground to avoid it, rolls onto his back, and flings a medium-sized Plasma Orb to strike Zero and knock him out of his attack. Kira leaps at one of the Void lenses, and claps her Ether Blob's hands on it, instantly destroying it. Bridgette casts forth a Chain Lighting bolt to strike Zero, and it arcs off to hit the two remaining Void lenses, and Glaugan.

Chez Shay and Lyla are spraying projectiles at the mighty lion, who roars, and leaps at Lyla. She squeals, backing up, and Glaugan is popped in the face by a bomb from Sasha. He lands on his feet, and The Beast gets in front of him, giving him a sneer, at which Glaugan snarls. Then he senses something, and turns his head to find Bella sitting on her wrench close to the ground, giving him a loving look. He stares at her, then yowls when The Beast blasts him nearly point blank with a missile. He leaps around to avoid more projectiles, and launches himself at Chez Shay, claws first. She suddenly opens her Gunbrella, blocking the attack, then holds it upright, and a bunch of grenades drop to the floor around Glaugan. Chez Shay cackles as she moves away quickly, and Glaugan leaps to avoid the blasts that set fire to a nearby table and chairs set. Glaugan scampers around and sees Teresa by the magistrate, but Bella quickly gets between them, and gives Glaugan another loving look with pleading eyes. Glaugan hesitates, and The Beast grabs his tail to start yanking. The lion roars, and starts chasing his own tail, trying to get at The Beast, who hollers in excitement as he flies around. Bella finds the sight adorable and hilarious. Lyla activates a Wave Card, and starts blasting Glaugan with the shots, forcing him to scamper around again to avoid them. He lunges unexpectedly upon Chez Shay, and knocks her clean off her vacuum cleaner. She yelps, but before Glaugan can clamp down on her, The Beast blasts Glaugan's rear end with a missile, forcing the lion into a pain-powered leap, and he hits the ceiling. He crashes down, and resumes trying to get at The Beast behind him. Chez Shay scrambles back onto her vacuum cleaner, angry now.

Teresa stays by the magistrate, scepter at the ready to support the group when she can. As they observe the fight, the magistrate rests his hands on the bones of the cage he's being kept within, and with just a hint of distress lurking in the back of his voice, says, "It is clear you are heroes who oppose these invaders, but I am unfamiliar with most of you."

Teresa looks at the magistrate, and grins with pride. Putting on her haughty persona she uses for most strangers, she gives her own little speech of introduction, "I'm amazed to hear that. We are the interdimensionally-renowned Amethytus Entourage! We are an unstoppable force of heroes who travel to many different worlds, fixing the problems that crop up from exploitation of the gaps that have formed between said worlds. We rescue people from mighty monsters, defeat villains of unimaginable power, and save entire realms from the brink of annihilation! Our ultimate mission is to stop a deity known as the Andromedan Menace, who is slowly tearing apart the multiverse, and with Master Zan as our leader, the conclusion is foregone." As she speaks, she notices when Zero manages to strike Zan with a powerful shoulder tackle, and frowns. She proceeds to gesture with her scepter, and affects Zero with Amplify Damage. He immediately goes on the defensive.

The magistrate brings a couple fingers to his chin quizzically, as she runs a hand on the big rib-like bone forming the cage around him, and comments, "I appreciate that, and I can see that you, too, are among these heroes, despite using such frightening skills."

Teresa maintain her proud grin and overall demeanor, as she speaks, "Dark doesn't necessarily mean evil, you know. I am the Tar Queen Teresa, once a Great Witch, though I decided to give it up in exchange for my master's love. The man with the mechanical components is Byzantian Fandango, my master and the lord of the Amethytus Estate, a man more noble than anyone I have ever encountered! The girl with the scythe is Bridgette, a powerful Plasma-wielding explorer. The girl with the blue blob with muscular arms is Kira, an amazing elemental scientist. The others you probably already know: Bomber Witch Chez Shay, Desert Witch Lyla, and my best friend, Gear Witch Bella Chimes." She keeps her eyes trained on the fight, and notices that Glaugan is giving the witches some trouble. She gestures with her scepter, and the lion yowls when it gets dumped into a Tar Pit, becoming thoroughly stuck. Chez Shay busts out laughing at the sight, and she and Lyla pelt the animal with projectiles, though Bella keeps shifting her focus between attacking Zero and intercepting Glaugan.

The magistrate gives Bella a wary look, and simply replies, "Yes..."

With Amplify Damage in effect, Zero protects himself from a Plasma Bolt from Bridgette by blocking it with a Void Barrier, then throws a punch to clash with a punch from Zan and prevent that attack also from hitting him. But, knowing that he's in a vulnerable state, they press in harder to inflict as much damage as they can, and Kira manages to grab him by the legs with her Ether Blob's strong hands. With a fierce grin, she swings him at Zan. Zan recognizes this as a team-up effort, and performs a powerful Plasma flip kick, striking Zero in the head and causing him to yelp. Kira goes with the recoil by swinging Zero up and over herself and down at Bridgette. She readies her scythe, and swings it to slash Zero across the back, causing him to cry out again. Kira keeps him in her Ether Blob's clutches as she swings him back up, and releases him from her grip, only to immediately follow up with a mighty upward punch from her Ether Blob, which sends him flying to the ceiling, and leaves an impact dent in it. When he starts falling, Kira swings an Ether Blob hand out to snatch him, hold him upside down, make a short hop, and drive his head into the floor, shaking the ground in the process. She then shoves him toward Zan, who makes a short hop, and ax-kicks him in the shoulder, and at the same time, Bridgette flings a Fireball that strikes Zero. The twin-hits throw him against his big fancy desk, smashing it to pieces. He promptly flips to his feet, blood flowing freely again from the old stab wounds in his shoulder, as well as from his mouth and nose.

He wipes the blood of his face away, teeth gritted in a furious frown. Then he surges with Void energy. He suddenly warps in front of Kira, who flinches, and is unable to react before Zero lashes out his cape, now empowered with Void energy. While Kira's barrier absorbs the strike, she becomes locked in place with a powerful Gravity surge, and grunts. Zero's toothy frown shifts into a sneer. Within the span of three seconds, Zero utilizes his increased power and ability to warp, to strike Kira with a heavy punch to the gut, a roundhouse kick to the left side of her head, an ax-kick to her left shoulder, a high reverse kick to the back of her head, a forceful punch to her right arm, a knee-slam to her right side, and a double-fisted hammerblow to the top of her head. She screams from these attacks, and each one causes her barrier to crackle more and more visibly. The Alarm Icon forms in Zan's cybernetic eye, while no one else can register the speed of this attack quick enough to react. Zero warps directly in front of her, stamps his foot down, striking a ready pose, and hops to start into a triple-hit Cutting Swallow chain. Kira knows this will overload her Contour Barrier, and her pupils shrink in fright. Zan, however, performs a Plasma-empowered leap, and lands between Kira and Zero the instant before the attack will hit. Zan staggers as the blades slash against his Contour Barrier from behind. Kira stares at this, seeing Zan's cybernetic eye shift back to the Determination Icon. Bridgette and Bella finally realize what is going on, and Bridgette launches a Plasma Bolt, while Bella rotates her wrench to fire a big VividHue Orb, to strike Zero, interrupting his finisher of the attack chain.

Zan's Contour Barrier just barely survives the hits, and he now goes on the offensive, swinging around to kick Zero in the head with a Plasma-empowered blow. Kira recovers from the shock of being comboed, and watches as Zan lunges at Zero to knee-slam him in the chest. Zero grunts hard as he's sent flying, then grunts again when Zan snags him with a Tractor Beam. Pulling Zero back toward him, Zero's face meets with Zan's fist. Zan quickly stabs his fingers into Zero's gut, heaves him over himself and slams him into the floor behind where he is standing. He raises his hands with a yell, and surges with Plasma energy, creating a rapid-fire barrage of Plasma Bolts to strike Zero. He thrashes in pain as the bolts pummel him, and Zan forms a very big Plasma Orb overhead. He finishes his yell as he swings his hands down with great might, to blast Zero with the orb, creating a spectacular explosion of Plasma. Immediately after, Zan and Kira hop back a short distance, now finished with the retaliation. They stare and glower as Zero climbs to his feet, panting.

Meanwhile, Glaugan has managed to drag himself out of the Tar Pit, and tries to shake off the tar. While he does manage to get the excess off, he's now coated in the sticky substance. Some of the tar he casts off comes in contact with the fires that have broken out in the office, and they intensify the flames. Glaugan is shot by Chez Shay and Lyla, and Bella comes close again to gaze. He avoids eye contact with her, and lashes his claws out at The Beast, who is making mocking noises at the lion. The Beast simply backs up, and flings a missile, which strikes him at the same time that one of Sasha's bombs hits him. He is sent bouncing, and climbs to his feet. He gallops toward Lyla, and leaps. Lyla squeals, and shifts hard to the side, her arm being struck by Glaugan's claws, and she flinches hard, her Wave Card being destroyed by the blow. She turns to spray more normal shots at Glaugan, who immediately turns to slash at her again, but she backs up, the claws rushing by right in front of her chest, with mere inches to spare from her breasts being struck. This frightens her further, and she keeps backing up. The Beast drops in front of Glaugan and flaps his tongue at the lion, who suddenly swings his other paw, smacking The Beast and sending him flying against Bella, who jolts. The Beast rolls his head a little, then busts out laughing for some reason, as he rises into the air to form a huge missile. Glaugan's eyes widen, and he attempts to stop The Beast from using this attack by rushing toward him and leaping. The Beast hoped for this, and nails Glaugan nearly point blank, the missile exploding and sending the lion careening into a wall, leaving a lion-shaped impact dent and tar all over it. Glaugan flops to the ground, and climbs to his feet, snorting in pain. He was already weakened by not having enough time to recover from the previous fight in the factory, and on top of that, his fur is absolutely coated in tar, which is really slowing him down. He emits a low growl as Chez Shay, The Beast, Lyla and Sasha loom in.

Teresa, meanwhile, observes all of this with the magistrate, and in a tone of exaggerated admiration, declares, "See how amazing we are? We came here to defeat these invaders, and drive them out of Eihemland, and while we had a bit of a hard start, we're back on track toward a stunning victory! We're just fortunate that Bella became aware of the situation happening in this realm. It might have gone unnoticed if not for her." Seeing Zero get back up shocks her just as much as it does the others, so she attacks him from her safe distance by creating a Bone Spike to stab at him, but he reacts to it by blocking with his cape, making Teresa frown in annoyance.

The magistrate continues to watch Bella carefully, still exuding a very concerned demeanor, and just echoes his previous response, "Yes..."

Teresa now notices that the magistrate seems to be acting very suspicious regarding Bella, gives him a peculiar look, and says, "...What's wrong?"

He looks at Teresa, points at Bella, and inquires, "That truly is Bella Chimes, correct?"

Teresa puts an arm akimbo again and nods enthusiastically as she replies, "The one and only! My best friend and an important member of the Amethytus Entourage! She helps build our aircraft."

The magistrate looks back at Bella again with stern eyes, and states, "Do you and your master know that she is a member of the Trouble Witches, and is a daughter of the dangerous Amalgam Kallous? I find her presence here questionable and baffling." He watches as she valiantly battles Zero, and seems genuinely perplexed.

Teresa waves a hand dismissively as she rolls her eyes, and replies, "Of course we knew that. But you see, Master Zan specializes in rehabilitation and purification of villains. Half of our Entourage consists of reformed evil people in fact! So while Bella may have been a Trouble Witch before she met Master Zan, she is not now. She is a hero in fact, like the rest of us, and fights evil forces!" She watches with admiration as Bella fires a heavy beam of Light at Zero, who is forced to warp out of the way.

The magistrate pulls back a little, watching Bella avoid an attack and retaliate as effectively as she can, and his demeanor slowly shifts toward a more gracious one. He eventually responds, "...I am inclined to believe you. No Trouble Witch would go to such great lengths to fight such a powerful foe just for her own sake. She does truly seem to have reformed from her bad ways." He looks away in thought, and mumbles, "This will have to be taken into consideration in regards to her previous crimes she is still accountable for."

Teresa flinches very hard, her pigtails bristling slightly, and now focuses her attention fully on the magistrate as she exclaims, "C-crimes? Bella's not a criminal!"

The magistrate gives Teresa a forgiving look as he replies, "Ah, but I'm afraid by our laws, she is. It is very good to see that she has reformed, however. Hmm..." He is deep in thought as he takes all of this into account. Teresa just stares at him, then gives Bella a distressed and confused look. Bella is too busy at the moment, now trying to charm Glaugan again, to notice.

Zero blocks Teresa's Bone Spike, but gets punched very hard by an angry Kira, who is out for revenge now over Zero's hitting her with such a powerful combo. He staggers back, and lashes his cape at her, but Kira grabs the cape with her Ether Blob, making Zero flinch. Zan comes flying in foot first and kicks Zero, and Kira swings him around again, where Bridgette hits him with a rising blast of Voltage. Kira releases him, snatches his body with an Ether Blob hand, and slams him into the ground. He climbs to his feet yet again, and throws a high, reverse kick to hit Kira unexpectedly. She jolts back, and snarls. Bella has moved close to give Glaugan another loving gaze, but he flicks some tar into her face, and she sputters. He is forced to leap out of the way of shots from everyone else, where he tries to pounce on Chez Shay. However, the tar on his body weighs and slows him down significantly enough that he misses completely, and she shoots him from above. Glaugan yowls, and becomes fed up. He snorts in frustration as he gallops away from the group, and leaps out of the area through a black portal. Bella wipes the tar off her face, and frowns sadly when she sees the lion escape. The Beast looks a little sad too. And Chez Shay notices. She leans in close, giving him an overly intense stare of curiosity, and says, "What's with you, anyway?" The Beast is undisturbed by her kooky behavior, being a kook himself, and he replies, "COOL CAT. KINDA LIKED HIM."

Chez Shay chuckles. She, he, Lyla, Sasha and Bella are now free to focus on Zero, and ready their weapons. Zero scowls, more blood flowing from his mouth, and gets blasted by Bridgette again. He grunts in frustration, sweeping his cape at her to force her back. However, his mood is returning to a collected state, though he knows he's in trouble something dire. Finally, he just swipes a hand as he exclaims, "That is ENOUGH. You are such impudent children."

Bridgette grits her teeth angrily as she snaps, "Stop calling us that!"

Zero thrusts his finger at them scoldingly, responding immediately, "I shall call you what I shall call you, and you all are ants. I shall crush you in a single strike. I shall finish this here and now!"

Kira sneers with her bright white teeth, goads, "Oh yeah, like you can take all nine of us on and hope to pull anything off?" and punches a fist into a palm, which her Ether Blob imitates in tandem and far more impressively.

Zan gives Zero a sad look, slowly shaking his head, and says, "Zero, what happened to you? You didn't used to be so full of hatred."

Zero returns the sad look with a firm, dark one of his own, and replies, "Things change, Fandango, and when I realized the potential of NESTS, I learned that I must put aside some of my venerability in order to further our organization's goals. You have managed to threaten our goals here, and I MUST stop you."

Bella points angrily and dramatically at him as she retorts, "And we MUST stop YOU."

Chez Shay snarls viciously, Gunbrella locked and loaded, "Get out of our world you T-shaped nancy-boy!" "GEHT OWT!" The Beast drawls fiercely.

Lyla blinks, mutters, "'T-shaped'..." looks at Zero more intently, and realizes where Chez Shay got the name now: his outfit's silhouette. She exclaims with a touch of amusement, "Oh! His shoulder thingies! I see it now!"

Zero glares intensely at the group, and points straight down as he shouts, "It is YOU who shall be defeated!" He takes on a strength-building posture and begins to surge with huge Void power, as he announces, "This is it! The move that shall finish you instantly!"

The girls go on alert as Zero surges with such intense power that the very area starts to tremble, and his cape rises up into the air, for just a moment causing the group to swear the cape has taken on the shape of a pair of bladed wings. Zan's Alarm Icon forms in his cybernetic eye again, but when his scans indicate that Zero is focusing all of his energy into a dimensional disruption, he realizes exactly what Zero is powering up to do. Zan braces himself...

Zero thrusts a hand forward, causing a crack to form in the very air. The crack expands, and breaks open to become a jagged hole. It surges with power, and glows bright white. An incredible gravometric force begins surging toward the White Hole, and every object in the office starts to slide or fly toward it, including everyone's gear. They hang on, their Contour Barriers struggling to resist the pull. Still, the girls get dragged slowly toward the hole, while being battered by objects flying toward it from all around them, and they start screaming and shrieking. Suddenly, Zan yells, thrusting a hand toward the White Hole, and focusing his own Dimensional powers unto it. The hole immediately distorts. Horror takes hold of Zero's composure, and he exclaims, "Wh-what is this?!"

Zan, teeth gritted, Determination Icon flaring in his eye, surges with his own power that he utilizes normally to close Interdimensional Static manually, or to destroy the Andromedan Menace's Evil Wells: his renowned Dimensional Control Powers. He focuses the power into the White Hole, trembling with strain. The White Hole distorts a little more, then smooths out into a perfect sphere-shape. All of the energy that had been drawn in, suddenly reverses. The girls stare in amazement, as Zan inverts the White Hole, into a White Nova, of the actual exploding star sort. The next instant, the room is filled with a blinding light and a deafening explosion that rocks the entire base and the castle above it.

When it clears, every piece of furniture in the office, as well as the carpet, the remains of the chandelier, the fancy wallpaper, nearly everything is obliterated, and the office walls are covered in sparking and smoking cracks. Zero is flat on the floor, and groans. The girls, and the magistrate, stand unharmed, though the magistrate has to rub his eyes to clear his vision from the shine of the White Nova. Zan stands there, panting, but chuckles softly too, glad to see that he had the power to thwart the attack.

The girls start laughing softly as well, mostly in shock at having witnessed such a spectacle.

Zero lays there, completely defeated, badly wounded, half blind and deaf. He groans, "Unbelievable..." and climbs to his feet, astounding the girls. He grips his arm in pain, hunched and barely able to stand. "This is just... unbelievable..." he groans, and turns to start limping to a large, solid door that was hidden behind tapestry on the wall behind where his throne was. It is undamaged. Zero passes a weak glare at Zan as he speaks softly, "To think that I could have failed... Fandango, you are the worthy opponent I always knew you to be..."

Zan is too worn out to move at the moment, and quietly responds, "Don't think you can escape, Zero..."

Everyone else can't do anything yet, still trying to overcome the shock of the amazing occurrence. Zero reaches the door, keeping his eyes on Zan, and calmly says, "I have to disagree." He rests a hand on a panel on the door, and the door shifts open, revealing an escape pod within. He forces pride back into his tone as he states, "NESTS shall never lose to the likes of you. Good bye, Fandango. You shall not live to regret your actions here." He gets inside the escape pod, and the pod's door slams shut. The next instant, the pod launches upward with a loud rush of its rockets, and the girls become frustrated.

Chez Shay growls, recovering from the stunning display, and exclaims, "That guy, I swear! He's an escape artist!" "AFTER 'IM!" The Beast hollers, rising into the air to fly after Zero.

Before they can act, however, a new alarm starts up, and the lights inside the office turn red. Explosions start rumbling throughout the base, causing the office to shudder almost constantly, and the girls start shrieking. Lyla immediately drops to her knees to cover her head and squeals in terror, "What's happening now?!"

Kira, being savvy to situations like this, looks around frantically and shouts, "Don't TELL me he triggered some kind of self-destruct mechanism!"

Sasha rapidly flies circles around Lyla, and in a panic shrieks, "RUN AWAY!"

Zan swipes a hand to the side as he declares, "We can't! If we let this entire base explode, it will demolish Eihemland's castle in the process!"

Bridgette looks at the magistrate in horror and alarm, and responds, "Crap! He's right!"

Bella tries to resist panicking, and exclaims authoritatively, "We have to stop that from happening!" She quickly starts looking around.

The magistrate is also trying not to panic, and is intently observing their actions. He especially notices Bella's response.

Everyone scrambles around the office, looking for a way to shut off the self-destruct mechanism. Teresa, sweating with fear, releases the magistrate from the Bone Prison, and scurries over to Zan to cling to him. He is the only one not actually searching physically, but is holding a hand to his cybernetic temple, his eye displaying the Scan Icon. His teeth are gritted, with intense nervousness in his flesh eye. Zan's scans shortly indicate that the primary control system for the base, which includes an Emergency Shut Down Command, is in the office itself. At nearly the same time, Kira comes upon the computer station off to the side, which was damaged by the White Nova, but is still functioning. Kira yells, Zan looks at it, and dashes over, Teresa squeaking as she tries to hang on to him. He and Kira promptly examine the terminal, chatter urgently about the nature of the system, and begin accessing it. Everyone sees them do this, and watches with tense anxiety.

The two call out in rapid succession between each other, Zan and Kira urgently supporting the other's actions at the large terminal, "Here!" "Yes! That one!" "Got it! Ten seconds left! Check that!" "Done! Three-One-Six!" "Four-Four-Nine!" "Wait!" "Cleared! Five seconds!" "Ready!" They speak and act so fast, Teresa can't keep up, and she squeals, "Master?!"

The two, Zan and Kira, finally shout simultaneously, "NOW!" They slam their fists down on two separate keys. The power to the entire base dies instantly. The terminal shuts down, the lights shut off, the alarm terminates, and the explosions throughout the base cease. An eerie silence fills the now pitch-black office. The next moment, Bella creates a bunch of Luminates, making the room pretty clearly visible again. Everyone waits for a moment, then break out into cheers. Zan and Kira grab each other in a tight, celebratory hug and laugh heartily. The next moment, Kira realizes what she just did, and pushes back a bit, giving Zan a flustered look, while he just gives her a soft, loving smile.

As the group celebrates, they feel a strange weight rise from off of them. Bella hears the mournful mechanical groan of Palindrome echo through her head, and she gasps in sheer joy. Teresa hears the strange wailing cry of her Tar Agnaktor echo in her mind, and she grins widely. Bridgette hears the chattering shriek of her Amethyst Acklay call out to her within her thoughts, and she smiles happily. Kira hears the ferocious roar of her Abyssal Lagiacrus roll through her mind, and she grins a bright, toothy grin. They can feel their Guardians reconnect to them, and for just a moment exchange thoughts with the mighty creatures, reassuring them that everything is okay again. The creatures are clearly highly agitated, disturbed by the loss of contact, but calm down after being comforted for a short time. Chez Shay, The Beast, Lyla, Sasha and the magistrate notice the sudden silence among the girls, who are definitely joyful, but distracted by something clearly internal, and suspect that something good has just happened to them. The magistrate, especially is curious, but keeps silent.

Teresa finally breaks the silence, as she looks around at the others and squeals, "Did you just feel your Guardians contact you all, too?"

Bridgette nods, VERY happy, and whispers, "Yes..."

Bella has tears of joy in her eyes now, and speaks toward no one, "Palindrome... I missed you..."

Kira belts out a cackle, and declares, "Now we're TRULY back to full power! That Jamming Frequency NESTS was using must have been in this base, and by killing the power the way we did, we shut down that jammer!"

Teresa giggles excitedly, and exclaims, "This is so wonderful! Isn't it master?! ...Master?" His lack of response gives pause to her, and she looks at him in concern.

The others look at Zan as well. They find that he has a deep, loving smile, with a tear in his flesh eye, the Love Icon in his cybernetic one, and is holding his hand to his cybernetic ear. They realize he is in communication with someone.

The instant the jamming frequency dies, Zan receives a transmission from the Estate. A frantic, distressful call that immediately grabs his attention. He shortly notices the girls looking at him, and shifts it so that his ear doubles as a speaker for everyone else to hear. Their eyes widen when they hear Galilahi, extremely distressed, crying out constantly, "Zan! PLEASE! PLEASE Zan, respond! PLEASE!" The sound of crying voices of other women back at the Estate can be heard behind her. This shocks the magistrate. The girls let out soft gasps, Bella bringing a hand over her mouth.

Zan listens to this for a moment, his heart swelling with love for his Entourage, and he shortly decides to terminate their distress. He replies, "...Galilahi. This is Zan."

Loud gasps and cries of joy break out from the women beyond her, and Galilahi shrieks, "ZAN! Oh, Zan! Thank goodness! Zan! We were so worried! Everyone was so frantic!"

He keeps his head bowed, eyes closed now, as he responds, "I am sorry, Galilahi..."

She continues to chatter, a floodgate of distress finally breaking, "We felt sure we had lost you! When Nizhoni and I couldn't sense you, we knew something was wrong, but..."

He echoes with a deeply loving tone, "I am sorry..."

The women with Galilahi chatter tearfully and excitedly, and she cries, "We'd been trying for HOURS to contact you! What happened?! Why couldn't we get through?! What was going on that could actually prevent us from using the Amethyst Gate to travel there ourselves?! Not even the Gofer Sisters could figure it out! The gate acted like the realm didn't even exist according to them!"

He keeps his head bowed still, as he gently explains, "We are dealing with a branch of NESTS' forces who have developed advanced dimensional technology. They were able to use a disruptor on the Interspacial Causeway to ambush us, and a jamming signal on the realm itself to lock out interdimensional communication. These obstacles put a severe delay on our mission. HOWEVER." The crying calms slightly when Zan suddenly shifts into a strong, serious tone, and he announces, "We now have the situation under control. I REPEAT," the crying eases further, "We have the situation under control now. I am very sorry for causing you such distress, but we are alive, and safe."

Galilahi emits a soft sob, then says, "Zan... I love you. You know that, right?"

The tear in his flesh eye flows down his cheek, and he replies as softly as he can, "I know that. I love you too, Galilahi."

Bridgette has a loving smile of her own. Chez Shay sneers, while Lyla has some tears of her own, of happiness. Kira is annoyed, of course. She looks off to the side with a flat look and mutters, "...Some people seriously have no confidence in us..." "SHHH!" Teresa hisses, producing a glare from Kira.

After a moment, the voices of the women beyond Galilahi have calmed down completely, and she says, "Ok, Zan... Ok... Come back safely, please."

He slowly nods, and as he looks at the women presently with him, he replies, "I assure you, that will most certainly be the case. In fact, our mission is almost complete. We should be back within a few hours. So please calm down."

Galilahi's voice trembles a little more, but she is indeed calming down, as she acknowledges, "Yes, Zan. Thank you."

He wipes the tear from his flesh eye, and gently finishes, "Thank you, Galilahi." He ends the transmission, and looks at the others. They gaze back with happiness. But for Bella.

She has tears in her eyes, but they are now of distress, as she whimpers, "..It's my fault."

Zan immediately speaks up, "Don't start, Bella."

Teresa also exclaims before Bella can respond, "It's NOT your fault, Bella! You could NOT have prevented this!"

Chez Shay is becoming annoyed by the continuous resurgence of her issues, and barks, "Quit beating yourself up, fluffy!" "TURN THAT FROWN UPSIDE DOWN!" The Beast exclaims. He shortly flinches.

Chez Shay is staring at him in complete disbelief, and mutters, "...You did not just say that." He facepaws, realizing the stupidity of his words himself, and groans, "SORRY... COULDN'T RESIST..."

Bridgette tries to be positive, and encourages, "Instead of starting a pity-party, fortify your determination to kick NESTS out of Eihemland!"

Bella looks around at the firm and determined looks of her companions, mumbles, "...Yeah..." and does just that. As her thoughts swirl, the fact that she and her friends are now truly restored causes her fortitude to spike, reflected by a slight increase in the strength of the Luminates. Her confidence climbs rapidly, and she fully responds, "Yeah! It's NESTS fault, not mine! We're WINNING now! And we WILL win!"

Lyla smiles happily, and responds, "That's better." She looks at Sasha, who has a similar look too.

Zan looks around at the demolished office as he speaks on the subject at hand, "So, we know that the Interdimensional Static is not in THIS base, but rather is in the other one Zero mentioned."

Kira looks over at the doorway Zero fled through, says, "That was an escape pod he used," and turns to the magistrate. She inquires, "Is there some kind of aircraft docked at the top of that shaft?"

The magistrate replies immediately, "There is indeed. Parked atop one of the towers of our castle in fact. I do recall that their soldiers and robots modified that tower in some way after they took control of the castle and started building this base beneath it."

Bella grimaces, and mutters, "Then it looks like we're going to have to chase after Zero once again, just like you said, Zan."

Zan nods, but keeps his attention on the magistrate for now, and says, "But first... Sir, I heard Teresa introduce us already, so you are already aware of who we are. I want to commend you for remaining so collected in such a frightening situation."

The magistrate emits soft chuckle, which may be disguising some buried distress, as he responds, "It's fine, it's fine. Eihemland castle has had its share of troubles in the past, that much is certain."

Bella steps closer to him, inciting the others to do the same. She asks, "Sir, can you tell us exactly what all happened here?"

The magistrate looks off to the side, his face drifting into thought, as he answers, "It was about a week ago. Several large airships, swarming with droids, descended upon Eihemland City from the northeast. We tried to fight back immediately, but they had such a powerful selection of weapons at their disposal, that I'm afraid we stood not a chance. Their thuggish soldiers who wielded Fire on their fists punched holes in our troops, and their own robots' firepower was just superior to our own. Within a day, they had breached defenses all the way to the castle. That man you just fought broke in to the throne room, surrounded by supporters, and we were overrun before we could act. The king is alive, and will be pleased to know I am free, as I was the first person they captured. I am quite ashamed of myself for that..." He bows his head.

Chez Shay taps her shoulder with her Gunbrella, as well as the floor with her foot, as she hastily comments, "You're lucky they didn't kill you, ya'know."

The magistrate gives her a nervous eye, but slowly nods, and continues, "...Indeed. But I think that may have been better. By using me as a 'bargaining chip', as that man so aptly put it, they quickly suppressed and took control of our council, and soon the rest of the government. From the peoples' standpoint, they made it look as though they were performing a passive takeover, but many people saw through the thin veil they tried to put up. Unfortunately, within just a few days time, they had dispersed their troops all throughout the city and the surrounding countryside, using brute force to bring under control any splinter cells that were trying to get themselves organized to oppose them, and it got to the point that they turned on random people who so much as breathed a word of resistance. Their droids were harassing people on the streets, and their thugs were reported to be abusing every last resource the city had available."

Bella looks off to the side in a similar manner as she whispers sadly, "...No wonder everyone was so afraid..."

The magistrate turns a respectful gaze upon the group, and softly states, "And yet, you, here and now, have liberated Eihemland from their grip..."

Zan is checking regional scans, his hand to his cybernetic temple, and replies amidst this, "Not completely. We still need to actually drive them out of the realm. They are not just invaders to your kingdom, but to this particular dimensional realm. Think of it this way: they are an invasive species from another planet entirely. They do not belong here, and their presence and aggressive takeover actions is actually harmful to the realm itself."

The magistrate slowly nods, acknowledging, "I am inclined to believe you."

Zan continues to check over all the data he has accumulated, and uncomfortably remarks, "What worries me is how similar this behavior is to the Combine... Only without the Xenoforming of the realm itself..."

Bridgette gives him a wary look, and asks, "Do you think there might be something deeper here?"

He looks at her with just as wary a look, and mutters, "They said they had met a scientist from another realm. The fracturing of the Multiverse may be getting worse than I thought." Bridgette gives him a distressed look.

Teresa realizes that she still hasn't gotten an answer regarding the "Combine", and asks, "Who ARE the Combine, Master?"

Zan and Bridgette form looks of dread, which Teresa, and really everyone, notices, and it unnerves them. Especially Bella, who also holds familiarity with the subject. Bridgette finally just says, "...You don't wanna know."

Teresa tilts her head slightly, and replies, "Before my time?"

Bridgette, as well as Bella, slowly nods, and the former remarks, "Yeah. Let's just say, they make NESTS look like a leaderless gang of Covenant Grunts."

Kira flinches when she hears this, knowing how inept such a bunch would be, and mutters, "Geez..."

At this point, the group notices that the magistrate has started to shake. Evidently the revelation of the situation has finally caught up to him, and he can no longer hold back his built up emotions of fear and anxiety. They pour forth as he breaks into exclamations of gratitude, "Thank you... Thank you all. Thank you all so much! Thank you all so VERY much! You have saved our city! You have saved me! You have saved the kingdom! You have saved our people!" The girls form warm smiles. He continues, clasping his hands together and shaking them, "I know this is an awkward time to bring this up, but if there is ANY way we could repay you, PLEASE let us do so! As the saviors of Eihemland, you MUST be rewarded for such historic actions!"

Chez Shay giggles greedily, rubbing her hands together. Lyla rubs the back of her head bashfully. The other girls are grinning. But then Zan speaks up, "Girls?" They look at him, and he has a smirk. He says, "Remember my condition regarding that treasure?"

They flinch, then look at each other, and nod. Chez Shay tilts her head back and groans in exasperation. The Beast floats close and closes her mouth, causing her to flinch and glare at him. He has a confident look, however, and reminds her, "THE FIGHT'S THE REWARD. REMEMBER?" She blinks, then calms down, and responds, "...Oh yeah." She shrugs, takes out, and sits back on her vacuum cleaner to watch.

The magistrate, meanwhile, blinks, tilting his head in curiosity, and responds, "Treasure?"

He watches as the girls proceed to unload all of the treasure they found in the hidden vault. Zan even brings out with loud, ground-shaking thuds the gold and gem-filled chests. They set all of the items out before the magistrate, leaving him staring in complete and utter astonishment. His jaw hangs open for a moment, until he looks at the others and blurts rather inelegantly, "Wha... What are these?!"

Zan slowly pans his hand fourth in a slow gesture as he explains, "During our infiltration of this base, we discovered a three-hundred-year-old tunnel that an ancestral king of this kingdom had built." Teresa points at the portrait of said king and cuts in, "This guy." Zan gives her an amused sniff, and continues, "...As we traveled through the tunnel, we found an ancient, sealed vault, and all of these items were within it. We gathered them up at the request of the girls. We do like to collect treasure from old sites, but I required that we get permission from the Eihemland government to keep them, since the area was still technically connected to someone's property."

The magistrate gives the items a closer inspection from where he stands, resting a hand on his chin, calmed a bit and quite intrigued. He comments with growing enthusiasm, "Now that I get a look at these items, I DO recognize some of them! They had LONG been marked off as lost forever! We knew of the tunnel, but assumed it was derelict, and that when the king who built it fled through it to his escape ship at the end of his reign, he had carried the items off with him! What an amazing find!" He has become quite delighted.

Bridgette has a warm smile and deep appreciation for ancient treasure, as she proudly responds, "I know, isn't it? I love finding ancient treasures..."

Bella gives the magistrate a nervous look as she carefully requests, "So... Like... Can we keep them as our reward? We were already kind of hoping to do so."

He immediately responds in all delight, "Certainly! Absolutely! We actually have already replaced half of these things with newer items anyway! If you wish to keep them, then by all means!"

The girls giggle happily, and start recollecting and putting away the items. The magistrate disregards the fact that they are storing items far larger than what would be able to fit in normal pockets. Especially when Zan makes entire treasure chests he picks up vanish. Chez Shay gets a kick out of it though, snickering. After restocking the goods, but for one item, Bridgette approaches the magistrate, holding the portrait of the king. She presents it to him, and speaks in a mock-formal tone that only those familiar with her can tell the difference from, "We would, however, like to leave you with this. It's too hidi-... it isn't something that we'd be interested in keeping." She clears her throat.

Chez Shay just about falls to the floor laughing, knowing what Bridgette was about to say. The others also find this very amusing. It flies over the magistrate's head, however, and he happily accepts the portrait. He looks it over with deep admiration that confounds the others, and graciously responds, "Thank you... Of all the things for you to relinquish, it is wonderful that you should choose something as historically significant to us as this. Thank you..." Bridgette nods, then gives the others a disdainful look that reads to them as "good riddance". They try not to laugh out loud.

Their conversation is interrupted by the rushing roar of an aircraft taking off, being funneled down through the escape pod shaft Zero used. Light begins to shine from the shaft, indicating that the aircraft is leaving. The group jumps in surprise, looking at the shaft, and quickly realize that Zero is escaping. They give each other urgent looks. Zan turns his attention to the magistrate again. He quickly speaks, "Could you give us greater detail on where NESTS' forces came from exactly?"

The magistrate half panics, stammers for a second as he recollects and redirects his thoughts, and shortly responds, "Er, I believe they came from the northeast, flying in from the sky. We never really got a chance to search where they came from, but it was definitely the northeast."

Bella's demeanor darkens a little, and she gives Zan a wary look as she mutters, "Northeast... Zan?" He has formed the exact same look, and responds, "It's possible..."

Teresa is once again curious, and asks, "Where?"

Bella and Zan simultaneously announce, "Getol Mountains." Zan adds, "A volcanically active mountain range to the northeast."

The magistrate flinches when he realizes something, and comments, "...Yes... Yes, that is a definite possibility. Some of our seismologists announced that a particularly violent volcanic eruption occurred in that region not long before the invaders appeared. In hindsight, it seems too likely a coincidence that their appearance would coincide with such an eruption and not be related."

Lyla is already nervous again, and mumbles, "I've been there before... It's a terrifying place... I liked the heat though." She perks up for some reason, amusing Sasha.

Teresa, however, is genuinely afraid now, and grips Zan's suit jacket as she whimpers, "...Volcanoes... All that fire... Master, this is really, really bad..."

Bella, only somewhat knowledgeable of the region, comments, "My sister Lilly Solemn used that region as her hideout once before. I never went there myself. Didn't want to, still don't want to." She looks off to the side in discomfort.

Bridgette is in absolute dread, knowing what's coming, and mutters, "And we're gonna have to FLY there... I am not looking forward to this."

Bella suddenly exclaims, "BUT!" "NO BUTTS!" The Beast blurts, causing the others to flinch, but for Chez Shay, who laughingly remarks, "Shoot, Zan would want it to be ALL butts, right?" She gives him a suggestive look, and he just sighs.

Kira's eye twitches as the very sudden hijacking of Bella's attempt to speak, and exclaims, "What the heck?! Shut up!" Chez Shay and Kira snarl at each other.

Bella just stands there, annoyed, for a moment. When they finally DO shut up, she proceeds to encourage the group, "...But we're back at full power, everyone! We have our gear! We have our Contour Barriers! We have our GUARDIANS!" She and the girls take a moment to sigh in relief at the mere thought of it. Bella then resumes, "We're on the VERGE of the victory I said we would experience when we started this! We're not gonna let a volcanic region intimidate us, are we?!"

Zan, arms folded and fully confident, helps her along. "We are not," he responds with conviction. He nudges Teresa, causing her to stammer, realizing she needs to help too. "R-right! We'll win!" she cheers.

Bella cheers even louder, "WE WILL WIN!" The girls enthusiastically acknowledge, their morale bolstered. She continues with her rousing speech, "Yes! So what if we have to chase Zero one last time! We'll chase his escape ship to their MAIN Base, and with our gear, we will rip into that base, and destroy it!"

Hearing the word "destroy" come from Bella's mouth is the key to winning over Chez Shay's approval, and she exclaims, "NOW you're talkin' the way I like to hear!"

The Beast thrusts a paw upward as he shouts, "OUT OF THE FRYING PAN!" Chez Shay imitates his gesture with her Gunbrella as she finishes, "Into the fire!" They both cackle, "HAHAHAHA!"

Bella shouts as though at a rally, "We're going to drive NESTS from Eihemland!" Zan, Teresa, Kira and Bridgette respond, "Right!" Bella declares, "And then we're going to go home knowing that we are the saviors of yet another realm!"

Even Lyla is being riled up by this, and she softly remarks, "That sounds so wonderful... I hope I'll be able to help some more." Sasha floats close, giving her a cute and strong look, and exclaims, "I know you will, cause I know I will too!" The two nod with affirmative grunts.

Bella thrusts to point at the shaft of the escape pod Zero used, and orders, "So let's get ready!"

With another roused acknowledgement, the group heads over to the escape shaft, but for Zan. He faces the magistrate, and holds out his hand. The man gladly accepts it, not fearing Zan's black, crystal metal, skeletal hand, and they shake. Zan says, "We must go now, but we will be sure to complete our mission and drive out the invaders. We have the technology to fly, so we'll be leaving through that shaft. Can YOU get out of this base?"

The magistrate holds the portrait under an arm as he shakes Zan's hand, and nods in appreciative acknowledgement, replying, "I can. It looks like the doors can be opened manually even when there is no power, and I know how to get out of this base, since I was able to watch where I was going as I was brought here." Zan nods in response, and replies, "Good."

The magistrate finishes their meeting with his blessing, "May good fortune be with you always, Byzantian Fandango of the Amethytus Estate." He leans a little closer, turning his focus beyond Zan at the girls behind him, and in a rather ominous tone, adds, "...Take good care of Bella Chimes."

Zan slowly nods, knowing why he said this, and acknowledges, "...Indeed." He looks over his shoulder at her, feeling quite proud of her and how far she's come in the two short years she's been with the Estate.

The others are preparing their flight gear. Bella is sitting on her floating wrench. Teresa is standing at the ready on her GravBoard. Chez Shay is waiting on her vacuum cleaner, though having had time to cool down from the fight has caused her Gunbrella to degrade back to normal machine gun mode. Lyla is sitting in the center of her flying carpet. Kira has put away her Ether Blob, and has activated her GravPack. Bridgette is still standing, holding her GravBoard and giving it a look of dread. Zan approaches. And Kira takes note of the look on Bridgette's face. She snerks, and chides, "Time to fly, Bridgette. I bet you wish you'd practiced beforehand."

Bridgette throws a frustrated and fretful glare at Kira and yelps, "I didn't have the TIME to practice, dangit! Nnngh! I'm not ready for this! I HATE these GravBoards! I don't want to use this stupid thing!"

Chez Shay busts out a mean laugh and exclaims, "Haw! This is going to be real interesting to watch! Who wants to place bets pinkerton here's gonna end up falling into a volcano?" "I'LL TAKE THAT BET!" The Beast quickly replies, and he and Chez Shay snigger maliciously.

Nearly everyone glares hard at Chez Shay. Lyla, of all people, fusses, "Chez Shay, what is WRONG with you?!"

Chez Shay blinks, replies, "...Everything?" and gives Lyla a terrifying grin that makes her shrink back with a whimper.

Unfortunately, Bridgette is now terrified at the prospect doing exactly what Chez Shay taunted she would do, and reacts, "NONONONONO!" She suddenly flinches when Zan rests a hand on her shoulder.

He moves his face a little closer to hers, and speaks softly and gently, in a loving tone with the Compassion Icon in his cybernetic eye, "Everything will be ok, Bridgette... I will support you... Everyone will support you... You're not going to fall into a volcano, and if you do fall, I promise to catch you." Bridgette just gazes at him, and reluctantly whimpers, "Nngh..."

Zan has Bridgette set her GravBoard in the air, then gently helps her step on, holding her hand. She whimpers some more as he does. He keeps hold of her hand as he kicks his own GravBoard into a ready position, and steps on. He does not let go of her hand. He adds tenderly, "You will do fine, Bridgette." She just whimpers a little more.

Bella looks around at everyone, and they all nod. She declares, "Ok? Let's go! Head up the shaft before Zero's escape ship leaves completely!"

Bridgette emits a steady squeal of fear as the group flies into the escape pod shaft and starts speeding up it. As they ascend, Bridgette wobbles almost constantly, struggling to keep her balance, while everyone else focuses on reaching the shaft top. The shaft is very dark, but the light, some distance above them at the top, shines down toward them like a beacon of destination. Bridgette keeps whimpering, but Zan never lets go of her hand. As they fly, Bella looks at Chez Shay and Lyla. She can see that they are completely aligned with the group in conviction to help, and a smile forms on her face. She speaks up over the rushing wind, "Chez Shay... Lyla... Thank you and your companions for helping us. Are you going to keep going with us now that we've finished here?"

Chez Shay gives her an extremely excited look and nearly instantly replies, "Of course!"

Lyla, more subdued as usual, gently replies, "Yes, Bella..."

Chez Shay looks up and ahead, grinning widely, and exclaims, "I wouldn't miss the demolition of an entire base for the world!" "CRASH THE PARTY!" The Beast adds enthusiastically.

Lyla keeps her attention on Bella as she gently states, "We'll see this through with you all to the end. I know I haven't been much help, but I'll keep trying." "We're with you, friends!" Sasha proclaims as cheerily as she can.

Bella gives them a very appreciative smile and nod, and says, "Thank you..."

They focus their attention on the rapid ascent, and the light above grows steadily closer and brighter. Shortly it can be made out to be sunlight. The group squints as they near the top after several more seconds of upward flight.

The next instant, they pop up from the peak of the shaft, having exited out through the top of a watch tower at the northern corner of Eihemland castle. The light of the sun greets them, and the warmth of the light is very comforting on their bodies. They can see Eihemland City all around them, with some plumes of smoke rising in various areas. And directly ahead of them, they can see a large transport aircraft moving away from the tower toward the north, over the city. Bella points hard toward it. Everyone else imitates her, pointing either with their hands or weapons. Bridgette is the only exception, as she's trying real hard to maintain her balance, and get into the spirit of things at the same time. With a shout, the group bolts after Zero's escape ship.

~Waypoint 20: Sky Stage~

The group expects the ship to take off quickly, being an escape ship and all, but instead, it is flying at a steady pace. They quickly catch up to it, and bunch up behind it. They look around, at the tail end of the ship, and the city below. They can easily keep up with it as it flies along, and give each other skeptical looks. Teresa looks at the thrusters of the ship, then back at the watch tower they popped up out of, slowly moving away from it. She comments, "Um, I kinda expected this to be an actual chase?" Chez Shay blinks in surprise, The Beast snickers at Teresa's comment.

Bella looks out over the top of the ship, feeling the breeze against her face, then gives the others a little smirk, as she replies, "...I guess he didn't expect us to survive that time bomb or something." Chez Shay scowls in annoyance, The Beast narrows an eye at Chez Shay's behavior.

Kira grits her teeth in anger, and snarls, "That is insulting! He'll regret underestimating us! Let's shoot this thing down!" Chez Shay and The Beast grin and nod excitedly.

Bella throws Kira an alarmed look and responds, "Not over the city! It'll crash onto innocent people!" Chez Shay scowls again, The Beast gets an incredulous look.

Bridgette wobbles a little on her GravBoard, but is able to think about the situation, and points out, "Maybe we shouldn't attack it at all. If we stay behind it, it might never detect us, and we can use that to sneak in to their main base." Chez Shay's eye twitches at the prospect of more stealth activity instead of a continuation of the battle, The Beast folds his arms in annoyance.

Zan gives Bridgette a nod and adds, "I'm inclined to agree with that." Chez Shay facepalms, The Beast tilts his head back, emitting an exasperated groan.

Chez Shay slowly drags her hand down her face, then shouts loud enough to make the others flinch, "It's going WAY too slow, though! We'll be following this thing for HOURS!" "SLOOOOW!" The Beast howls in irritation.

Lyla rests the side of a finger on her chin as she timidly comments, "I'd rather follow a slow ship than have to fight some more, though." Chez Shay huffs, The Beast rolls his eyes.

Zan gives Chez Shay a wary look, then looks at the others as he says, "Stealth is always a valuable asset. I vote we trace it." Chez Shay twitches erratically, The Beast notices, and grins.

Teresa, eager to agree with Zan, responds, "Me too! It'll be easier if we just-" Chez Shay suddenly snarls very loudly, causing everyone to jump in alarm. With a wild shout, she and The Beast blast the tail end of the escape ship, trying to destroy one of its thrusters. The group yelps in surprise.

The ship promptly speeds up, with the increase in power from its thrusters creating a force that shoves the group, causing them to cry out in reaction and nearly making Bridgette and Lyla fall off their flight gear. The ship races away, to the north. Momentarily, everyone gives chase, while glaring at Chez Shay. Kira flies with her GravPack humming loudly at full thrust, while throwing Chez Shay a red-eyed glare and snarling, "You psychotic idiot! WARN us when you do stuff like that!"

Bella leans forward on her wrench to decrease air drag and fly faster. She is glaring at Chez Shay as well, and complains, "You shouldn't have done that all! Now we really ARE going to have to chase it!"

Zan sighs in exasperation, and while keeping hold of Bridgette's hand as the two fly, he mutters, "So much for stealth..."

Bridgette wobbles a little as she flies quickly, and she too glares at Chez Shay. She shouts, "We could have even LANDED on the ship if you hadn't done that!"

Chez Shay grinds her teeth as everyone protests, until she finally bellows, "GAAAH-BORING! I swear, you all KNOW I hate stealth! Stealth is for sissies and snakes! Let's just blast the damn thing and show them the superiority of our power!"

"I'M HUNGRY..." The Beast rather spontaneously states. Chez Shay gives him a surprised look with a slight shake of her head, and responds, "What, again?" The next instant, she yelps when a Camera Drone comes up in front of her face, "GAH!" She shoots it quickly.

The rest of the group yelps when they come under fire by the weak shots of Scout Drones, and several Camera Drones flock toward the group, coming at them seemingly from the escape ship. As they fly after the ship, they ready themselves for battle in response to the attacks. Zan takes out his Pulse Rifle once again, while still holding Bridgette's hand with his free hand. Due to supporting her this way, he can't also use the Arc-Welder he's had all this time. Bridgette ignites her scythe with Fire energy. Bella readies her wrench's head end with Light energy. Teresa prepares her scepter. Kira takes out her FN-P90 for the first time in a while. Lyla, Sasha, Chez Shay and The Beast prepare their own weapons. Shots quickly start whizzing past them, and Bella is struck by a shot, her barrier absorbing it. She huffs in amusement, and exclaims, "It'll take more than that! Shoot them down!"

They maintain pursuit of the escape ship, and return fire on the droids as they go. Several droids are shot down before they can even attack by the storm of projectiles that rushes forth from the group. Others open fire quickly, but only get a couple of shots in before someone shoots them down. Bella darts about, dodging shots, and returning fire with beams of light from her wrench. She releases a Cat Bullet, and its recursive projectiles damage many droids. A Camera Drone flashes a camera flare, briefly blinding half the group, but Zan shoots it with his Pulse Rifle to destroy it. He continues to fire his rifle all around, damaging many droids, and a critical hit destroys one immediately. Another Camera Drone tries to use a flare, emitting the distinctive rising whine associated with it, but The Beast blows it up with a swiftly flung missile before it can finish. Bridgette swings her scythe to throw Firebolts, smaller Fireballs that do not explode, at the droids, damaging any she hits, and one droid comes close enough that she is able to slice it in two with the super-heated blade of the scythe. A Scout Drone strikes Teresa with a shot, but her barrier absorbs it, and she counters with a Tar Blob that gunks up the droid, and it runs against another one, stunning the two. Momentarily, one of Sasha's bombs nails them, causing a surprisingly large blast that wrecks them both. Bridgette "dodges" a shot when she nearly falls off her GravBoard trying to avoid it, the shot zipping by her head. She only stays on the board because Zan has a firm hold on her hand. Very frustrated by her seeming inability to use the GravBoard effectively, she turns her irritation on her attacker and throws a larger Fireball at it to destroy it in retaliation, the splash damage from the blast scattering nearby droids. A Scout Drone manages to shoot Kira, but she ignores the shot and turns the rapid fire of her FN-P90 on it, tearing it to shreds. Kira has the unique ability to keep flying in one direction while turning around to face any other, and so is able to shoot at some of the Scout and Camera Drones that the group has passed, but are now being pursued and shot at by. Zan, Chez Shay and Lyla can shoot backward too, but Kira has a much easier time, since she doesn't have to twist around. She shortly cleans up all the droids behind them. Lyla is not nearly as afraid of these droids, and is spraying a wide arc of wood bolts from her Tambourines at them, and combined with the damage they are suffering from everyone else's attacks, including the machine gun fire from Chez Shay, they are all shortly wiped out. With the air clear for a moment, the group tries to speed up a little and catch up to the now swiftly-flying escape ship. The city scenery below them flows by like a river as they fly along at top speed. Many people watch them rush by, and cheer them on, knowing by now that they have liberated the city from NESTS' grip. This greatly pleases Bella.

The escape ship flies onward, nearing the quiet northern edge of the city. Bella's group keeps up the chase, and notices as it releases a number of additional Scout Drones to attack them. They quickly open fire again. Bella's steady Light Beams, Teresa's occasional Bone Spears, Zan's continuous Pulse Rifle shots, Bridgette's swift Firebolts, Kira's blur of bullets, Chez Shay's machine gun fire, The Beast's fast missiles, Lyla's spray of wood bolts, and Sasha's drifting bombs cross the air with the yellow bolts of the Scout Drones. Bridgette is shot in the face, her barrier absorbing it, and she yelps. All of the Scout Drones are wiped out very quickly though, but the escape ship releases another small fleet of them. They swarm at the group, spraying shots, and start bursting as they get shot down as well. As Kira focuses her attention on the escape ship while shooting at one droid until her shots connect and destroy it, she says, "I wonder what that ship's compliment of droids is?"

Zan fires Pulse Rifle shots at another droid, taking a shot in the process, then gives the fleeing vessel a wary look, replying, "I get the distinct feeling that it can hold more than just these weak little droids."

Lyla sprays wood bolts, then swerves to avoid being shot, and comments, "At least those little camera robots are gone now."

Kira stops firing for a moment, forming a grimace at an incoming sight ahead of them, points forward, and replies, "Yeah, but look what's replaced them."

A blue Formless Kiman deploys from the escape ship, and starts drifting toward the group in its slowly swaying attack flight. Clearly though, it is actually flying backward fast enough to still drift toward the group. It throws blue energy bolts at everyone, and they swerve to avoid the shots, while returning fire on it, and at more Scout Drones coming toward them from the ship's droid deployment hangars. Kira, Chez Shay and Lyla find that their solid projectiles are rather ineffective against the energy being, but those using energy or elemental attacks find theirs to work fine, but for Bella's Light. Bridgette suddenly flies forward, out of Zan's hold, causing him to flinch and reach for her, as she flies up to the Formless Kiman, raising her scythe. With a yell, she slashes the enemy, and her Fire-enhanced scythe rips through it, severely destabilizing it. She thrusts her scythe to blast it with intense flames, and the Formless Kiman is destroyed. The others stare in surprise, until Lyla is shot by a Scout Drone and yelps in pain, turning their attention back toward shooting at and destroying the Scout Drones that are still attacking them. Bridgette starts wobbling again, whimpers, and slows down just enough for Zan to catch up to her. He takes her hand, and the two give each other soft looks. He forms an amiable smile, impressed by Bridgette's sudden defeat of the enemy, despite her unstable balance, and compliments, "Nice one, Bridgette." She just nods, realizing that when she doesn't focus on controlling the GravBoard, she actually does better, but it is incredibly difficult to not focus when flying at seventy miles an hour one-hundred feet in the air.

The scenery below continues to flow by below the group, and they soon leave the city of Eihemland behind. A vast plains region spreads out before them, with small roads spiderwebbing the land, which is dotted with trees, shrubbery, and the occasional house. It is actually quite beautiful, and the group tries to give some attention to the lovely scenery as they battle the droids. The escape ship speeds onward, unable to actually attack the group itself due to only having forward-mounted guns. It relies upon the support of the droids it is carrying, and the group is destroying them almost as fast as it can deploy them. Having run out of Scout Drones, the ship steps up its resistance against its pursuers by releasing Attack Drones. The stronger droids swarm at the group, rapidly firing stronger shots from their blasters. Bella releases another Cat Bullet, which starts damaging several droids. She then rotates her wrench to build up a Light energy charge in its grappler. She adjusts the charge type, and fires a steady and strong beam of Light in a more powerful Light Blast Beam attack. She swerves around as the beam fires, and strikes several droids, destroying most of those she hits, with the subsequent blasts damaging others nearby. The beam strikes the escape ship as well, and it trembles slightly from the hit, though the follow-up blast shakes it harder. Bella is promptly beset upon by several droids, and is shot twice, but her barrier withstands these hits. Teresa is feeling a little inadequate in this situation. There's no solid surfaces to produce Bone Spikes from, she has no summons she can use during a high speed sky chase, and the enemies don't last long enough for her to use any kind of Curse on. Her Tar Blobs are also rather ineffective for the same reason. Her deliberation over how to best help the group is interrupted when a droid flies up in her face and shoots her, causing her to squeal. She smacks it with her scepter, knocking it aside, and Zan shoots it apart the next instant. Teresa resorts to continuing to fire her slow-rate Bone Spears. They may fire slowly, but they fly quickly and if she hits something, it usually destroys it immediately. Three Attack Drones focus their fire on Zan and Bridgette. They get pelted by the shots, and return fire, with Zan's Pulse Rifle, and Bridgette swings her scythe to fling a Flame Wave. Their attacks destroy two of the droids, and the third gets close enough for Bridgette to slash with her scythe directly, destroying it as well. Kira turns about in the air, spraying her FN-P90 to damage and destroy more droids, when one gets directly behind her and manages to shoot her GravPack. Her barrier absorbs the shot, but she is disturbed by this attempt to take her down. Suddenly her Ether Blob reaches out from her person and crushes the droid between its big muscular hands. Kira is surprised by this, but the arms come around to form a pair of thumbs-up, with one thumb showing the goofy little face of her Ether Blob. She grins in amusement, then nods. Chez Shay is laughing and snarling excitedly as she endlessly fires her Gunbrella at the droids, dodging and swerving around their shots. The battle is more exciting for her and Lyla, to the latter's discomfort, due to a lack of Contour Barriers, but Lyla wants to save her remaining Skill Cards for bigger fish. When the escape ship deploys a fresh armada of Attack Drones, who spray a storm of shots at the group that is nearly as intense as their own, Sasha moves to help the entire group. She flies ahead of everyone, and activates her projectile-slowing sphere, completely stopping the enemy's storm, while the group's shots fly through normally, and destroy many of the droids. When the droids are destroyed, their shots disappear within the field. The Beast moves into the field with Sasha and throws missiles at closer range to destroy several more droids quickly. The group speeds onward, droid parts raining down across the countryside. An elderly couple notices the strange "rain", and watches the sky chase pass by overhead. They set out collecting the parts.

Sasha has to end the field when she starts running out of energy, and she backs away, releasing bombs at the droids, while The Beast stays close by. Suddenly a red beam of energy sweeps across him and he yowls from the searing damage. The group flinches, seeing that the source is a Red Corona orb, flung by a red Formless Kiman, that has deployed amidst the Attack Drones. The enemies' projectile storm is renewed after Sasha backs off, and the group is forced to start dodging again, even though their barriers can take these hits. Bella focuses her attacks on the droids, knowing that Ki-based enemies are resistant to Light. Kira, Chez Shay and Lyla also focus on fighting the droids. Teresa, however, focuses her attacks on the Formless Kiman. Finally, having found something to use a Curse on, Teresa quickly casts Amplify Damage on the red Formless Kiman. It retaliates by creating another Red Corona orb over its head. Teresa squeaks in fright when it flings the orb, but Zan and Bridgette dart in, and he flip-kicks the orb away, avoiding the sweeping beams in the process, promptly landing back on the board afterward, all mid-rapid-flight, greatly impressing the girls. The red Formless Kiman, however, is NOT impressed, as it angrily sprays energy bolts at them, and they return fire. Teresa flings a Bone Spear, but the Formless Kiman is aware that Death energy is very effective against its own Ki element. It lists to the left to avoid the shot, which ends up piercing into the escape ship instead, inflicting some damage on the hull. Zan watches the Formless Kiman, then gives Bridgette an inspired look, resulting in a reaction of dread from her. She knows she's not going to like this. Zan modifies his grip on her hand, and she follows suit, so that they are holding each other by the forearm instead of the hand. They start spinning, Bridgette holding her scythe out, while Zan forms a blade of Plasma energy to hold out in the opposite direction. While still spinning, they fly at the Formless Kiman. Their spinning causes projectiles from both the Kiman and the droids to ricochet off, striking other enemies instead and damaging them. The Formless Kiman focuses its power and fires its streaming shot at them, but their barriers hold off the attack long enough for them to reach the Kiman and slash it repeatedly with their blades. It jolts violently with each strike, and becomes more and more unstable, until one of Bridgette's scythe slashes destroys the tough energy being. The two back away to return to the midst of their group, slowly ending their spin, and the girls give them a cheer. Bridgette wobbles even more for a short time after the use of this attack. Struggling to maintain her balance, she gives Zan a peeved look and complains, "I'm having a hard enough time balancing on this thing while NOT dizzy, Zan! Don't make me do that again!"

He has already resumed shooting at the droids, and stammers humorously, "But but but, spinning is fun!"

Chez Shay, spraying bullets at several droids at once, and destroying two in the process, snerks, and retorts, "Yeah, if you're a washing machine! ...Oh crap..." She looks off to the side in dread. The Beast immediately notices, gives her a wary look, and asks, "...WHAT?"

She stops shooting briefly, clearly distracted by something very disturbing, giving pause to the rest of the group... ...until she replies, "I think I left some laundry hanging out to dry when we left!"

Kira flinches, gets shot by a droid, growls as she returns fire until the droid is shot down, then snarks, "...You actually DO your laundry?"

Chez Shay directs a dark look toward Kira, then points her Gunbrella at her, greatly alarming her, and responds firmly, "I'm PSYCHO, not a SAVAGE!" She huffs, and fires her Gunbrella. Seemingly at Kira, the shot actually strikes a droid that was coming up behind her as they fly. Chez Shay immediately aims the weapon at another enemy, while giving Kira a smug, wide grin, and adds, "And I AM a woman, too." Kira notices that Chez Shay just helped her, and falls silent as she turns back to shooting at the enemies.

At this point, the escape ship is unloading droids in larger and larger numbers. Now, amidst the Attack Drones, Shield Drones begin deploying as well. Bella's group goes on alert the moment they see them, and Bella declares, "Shield Drones! Teresa, Lyla, help me with them! Everyone else focus on the others!" Teresa nods with an affirmative grunt.

Lyla flinches, forming a dreadful expression, and yelps, "What do you want ME to do?!" Bella gives her a confident look as she states, "Use a Spear Card, silly!"

Lyla blinks, and looks at Sasha, who is giving her a cute smile. She becomes mildly embarrassed, and takes out a Spear Card. She activates it, and Bella does the same with her own Spear Card. The three cluster up, with Lyla in the center, just as the Shield Drones reach the group and take on a few wall-style formations. The group is surprised when numbers of Attack Drones use the Shield Drones as cover to hide behind, popping out to take shots, then ducking behind their protectors. Zan and Kira find themselves very impressed, but nonetheless shoot at the enemies. Several Attack Drones that do not have cover take on evasive flight patterns, rising and falling in vertical circles to evade attacks, while shooting at the group. This thwarts almost everyone's aim, including The Beast, who becomes frustrated enough that he produces a large missile to throw at them. Despite this, he still manages to miss, only to grin when his missile strikes the escape ship instead, shaking the ship, badly damaging that section of hull, and a tiny stream of smoke starts to flow from the damaged section. Meanwhile, other droids deliberately dart past the group, turn, and shoot back at their less-guarded rear. Kira realizes this shortly, turns to fly backward, and focuses all her attention on those particular enemies. Chez Shay and The Beast do not change tactics, launching an endless stream of projectiles that hit some Attack Drones, though several Shield Drones move around as erratically as the others, purposefully trying to "catch" the group's shots and prevent them from hitting their droid allies. Bella, Lyla and Teresa see through this however, and fire their piercing projectiles at the Shield Drones. They first focus their fire on one group that has taken up a wall formation directly ahead of them. The Shield Drones return fire, but one of Teresa's Bone Spears punches through one of them, and hits three Attack Drones hiding behind it, sending all four tumbling to the land below. The other Shield Drones close the gap, return fire, and Bella moves in front of Lyla to take a hit for her, surprising Lyla and leaving her feeling grateful. She and Bella counterattack with their Spear Shots, which pierce through the Shield Drones, and eventually the wall is demolished. They move to focus their attacks on another wall. Zan and Bridgette battle the regular Attack Drones as they have been, with Bridgette swinging her scythe to release Fireballs at everything that moves. They flinch with a lone Camera Drone shows up and uses its flare to nearly blind them. Bridgette lashes her scythe out at it, but it dodges, and uses its flash again. Bridgette whimpers, and the droid dodges some shots from Zan, who has become irritated. Bridgette manages to close her eyes before the Camera Drone uses its flare again, dodges a couple more shots, then flees. Zan and Bridgette stare at each other in frustration and confusion. They yelp when the shots of a blue Formless Kiman come flying their way, and they focus their attacks on damaging it. They shift hard upward to avoid another batch of shots, and return fire until the Kiman is destroyed. Bella, Lyla and Teresa flinch when Sasha darts ahead, then return to fighting when she activates her projectile-slowing field again, greatly hampering the enemy droid swarm's assault. Everyone tries to take advantage of this while they can. Zan and Bridgette focus their fire on a cluster of Attack Drones trying to actually shoot at Sasha. Teresa releases Bone Spear after Bone Spear, singlehandedly destroying one wall of Shield Drones, but for one that escapes to join others and form a new wall. Bella releases a Cat Bullet to damage Attack Drones, and focuses her Spear Card fire on individual Shield Drones, destroying some and missing others. Lyla focuses on another wall of Shield Drones, damaging several of them. Chez Shay and The Beast dart about, emitting continuous noises ranging from cackling to snarling to cheering as they shoot at and destroy Attack and distracted Shield Drones alike. Kira continues to focus on the enemies behind them, occasionally giving the others a flat look when they do something she considers stupid or annoying.

The group's pursuit of the escape ship has gone on for an hour or so now, with an endless battle against the ship's compliment of droids. They leave a trail of debris all along the countryside as they travel. But as they fight the enemies, they also take note of the scenery below, and the progressive changes to the land. After long enough, they notice that the lush green plains below them have steadily been turning more and more barren. Despite no real change in elevation, they have stopped seeing trees, and the grass has become patchy and pockmarked with blotches of grey dirt. Scraggly plants have taken the place of most shrubbery, and all of the winding country roads have long since stopped. The group says nothing about this, but it does get some of them to thinking about how far they have traveled. Bella, Teresa and Lyla continue to deal with the Shield Drones, patiently fighting the constant stream of them, knowing that they will eventually defeat them all, even when more deploy from the escape ship. Zan and Bridgette continue to fight as a pair, launching hard-hitting projectiles, using their weapons to deflect shots, taking hits from unexpected angles, and moving about erratically, still chasing the escape ship, all the while holding hands for the sake of Bridgette's support. It proves to be a rather sweet sight for the others. Kira continues to protect the rear, taking out Attack Drones that either get left, or deliberately move, behind the group to attack from the back, while her Ether Blob uses its hands to protect her own rear from the enemies in the front, occasionally grabbing one to throw or crush. Chez Shay and The Beast are clearly enjoying themselves, practically dancing through the air, laughing crazily, as they launch projectiles to destroy the seemingly endless armada of droids. Sasha, too, is helping. Whenever she feels her power restored, she provides her projectile-slowing barrier to give the group some relief from the projectile storm. When waiting for her energy to regenerate, she releases her floating bombs, which do significant damage to any droid they happen to hit. Some clear evidence of how effective Sasha's bombs are on armored targets is provided when one of the bombs manages to slip through the crowd of droids, reaches the escape ship, and pops on one of its droid deployment hatches just right, to destroy the hatch outright. The shaft ends up crumpled, and the hatch falls to the land below, preventing droids from exiting through that hatch. The group happens to notice this, and praise Sasha for the amazing achievement. She reacts by hiding inside her shell in bashfulness. The group continues to fly and fight. The land below becomes further degenerated, until it is clear that the escape ship and Bella's pursuing group have entered a wasteland region farther to the north. They suspect that their destination is getting near, but expect the resistance to become greater as a result. Then something happens that they didn't expect. As they shoot at the droids, they easily notice when the escape ship suddenly rises to a higher elevation, and at the exact same time, all of the droids they are battling suddenly scatter. The Alarm Icon immediately forms in Zan's cybernetic eye. Kira forms a wide grimace of dread, and remarks, "Oh now THAT is not a good sign."

Teresa, pigtails bristling in alarm, looks around at the evacuating droids, and shrieks, "What just happened?!"

Zan peers into the distance, and the Alarm Icon in his eye flares brighter. He yelps, "Oh CRAP."

Bridgette looks at him, then looks forward, responding, "What is it?!"

Zan hollers in terror, "INCOMING! SCATTER LIKE THE DROIDS DID!"

The group looks ahead, and sees a bright glint in the distance. They shortly identify it: a massive laser beam is roaring their way. With screams, Zan and the girls scatter in all directions, but for Lyla, who quickly breaks into a blind panic, and starts flying circles in place. Sasha flies away a short distance until she realizes Lyla isn't moving with her. She looks back, her eyes widen in horror, and she shrieks, "LYLA! SNAP OUT OF IT!"

Lyla does nothing but shriek, "EEEEEK!" She ends up falling off of her carpet when she fails to complete an out-of-control shuttle-loop, and screams, "AAAAH!"

Sasha is practically coming out of her shell in terror as she wails, "LYYYLAAA!"

The others scatter out of the way just barely in time as the huge beam screams by, creating such intense force that it shocks them, even though they had managed to get out of its width span by the time it reaches them. It misses Lyla as well, as the beam roars by above her, and she falls, staring at it in horror. The beam flies onward and away, back the way the group had come, slowly dispersing as it reaches the edge of its range. The group finds their Contour Barriers sizzling but functioning, and the devices shortly begin to recharge. The group's hearts are racing though, and they see Lyla falling through the air, unable to recover from the shock and panic. Zan grits his teeth, and with an urgent grunt, he looks over at the others, shouting, "Teresa! Bella! Grab Bridgette!"

Bridgette flinches hard, and yelps, "What?!" "Yes master!" Teresa cries out as she flies in. "Got it!" Bella exclaims as she also flies in. They grab Bridgette, causing her to realize he meant for them to lend her balance support. He veers his GravBoard upward suddenly, then swings around to dive down toward Lyla like a hawk.

Chez Shay is crackling with energy from the beam that just passed, shudders in shock, and screams, "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!" The Beast is suffering from the same problem, and he responds, "A BIGASS LAZOR!"

Chez Shay throws him an expression of combined terror and anger, and yells, "I KNOW THAT! BUT WHERE DID IT COME FROM?!" She looks in the direction they were flying in.

Kira has managed to stay calm, mostly, and she grimly mutters, "My guess is the enemy base..."

Zan zooms down toward Lyla. She tries to recover her senses, and sees him diving to catch her. She holds her arms out to him. He snatches her into his secure hold, and swerves upward to terminate the dive before they get too close to the ground. Lyla wraps her arms around Zan and stares at him with wide, terror and tear-filled eyes. He stares back, the Urgency Icon in his cybernetic eye, and he gently pleads, "Lyla... Get it together, please..."

She is in shock, and she senselessly responds with a quavering voice, "You saved me... ...Thank you, my prince..."

His cybernetic eye shifts to the Compassion Icon on hearing this, and he softly replies, "...I am glad I was able to."

Lyla pulls herself up to kiss Zan on the lips. They close their eyes during it, as he returns to the group. The girls gather around them, and observe with mostly pleased expressions. Bridgette and Bella smile, Teresa feels a very mild twinge of jealousy, and Sasha is very relieved, but Kira just watches like normal, and Chez Shay becomes very clearly jealous. She gestures toward them in irritation as she complains, "Look at that. Little miss desert dancer gets to lip-lock with Zanny-boy, but he wouldn't even TOUCH me!"

The Beast folds his arms with a sneer, and comments, "HE'S WISE. YOU'D'A BIT 'EM."

She immediately swats at him with her Gunbrella, and snarls, "Shut up! I have needs too!" He dodges the swipe and snickers tauntingly.

Zan and Lyla end their kiss. She gazes at him, and he returns it with gentle eyes. Sasha comes up close to check on her mistress. Suddenly a shot from an Attack Drone strikes Bridgette, and she yelps in surprise. Everyone sees the droids swarming back in, now that it is clear the big attack has failed. The escape ship moves onward, slowly descending back to its original elevation. Chez Shay immediately takes out her irritation on the droids by spraying machine gun fire at them. Kira, too, resumes shooting at the droids all around them. Zan looks around, then back at Lyla with tranquil intent, and inquires, "Are you ok now?"

She has regained her senses by this point, and now feels ashamed for having panicked so greatly. She averts her eyes as she whimpers, "Yes, Zan... I'm sorry for being so useless..."

He gently takes her by the chin, and she looks at him with a blush. He tenderly consoles, "No, no, you were just frightened by an inordinately powerful attack. That can happen to anyone. Can you fly?"

She produces her flying carpet again, and he nods. He sets her down on it, and she reluctantly lets go. She promptly sits, and Sasha comes up to give her a careful look. Lyla surprises her by taking hold of her and hugging her for a moment. Sasha smiles. Zan moves back to Bridgette, Teresa and Bella, and nods again. They return the nod with ones of their own, and Zan takes Bridgette's free hand. She gives him a cute smile, and he gives her a pretend-wary look. He takes out his Pulse Rifle again. Bella looks forward, and scowls when she sees how far ahead of them Zero's ship has gotten. She exclaims, "Rats! The escape ship's getting away! After it!"

The group speeds after the escape ship, trying to ignore the Attack Drones, though Kira and Chez Shay just shoot all around at them. They start to catch up, when they spot two blue and one red Formless Kimen approaching, firing Ki bolts at them. These enemies start flying backwards faster to keep a certain distance from Bella's group, who return fire on the energy entities. The escape ship is a farther distance ahead now, with the group having lost time to that ambush. They contend with the Kimen, dodging their shots. Zan and Bridgette focus their attacks on one of the blue Kimen. Teresa turns her attention to the red one again, hitting it, too, with Amplify Damage, which happens to hit its two blue subordinates in the process. Bella and Lyla continue to use their Spear Cards on the dwindling number of Shield Drones. Sasha helps with the Kimen, getting in front of the group to slow their projectiles with her energy field again. Chez Shay, The Beast and Kira spray their shots around the sky to destroy more of the equally-dwindling number of Attack Drones. The red Formless Kiman sweeps its powerful beam across the group suddenly, before they can react. It ends up hitting Zan, Bridgette, Kira, Teresa and Lyla. While the barriers of the former absorb the hit, it breaks Lyla's Spear Card, and she shrieks. She starts spraying her Tambourines' wood bolts, which batter all of the enemies, but for the Shield Drones. There are so few of them now, that they decide to cluster together and form one solid wall as cover for the Formless Kimen. Bella and Teresa turn their attention toward trying to pierce this barrier, but notice the Kimen doing something behind it. As the Shield and Attack Drones shoot at the group, the three damaged Kimen suddenly fuse into a single, purple one with greater strength. The girls stare in shock. Teresa, however, does not hesitate to launch a Bone Spear. Not only does it pierce through one of the Shield Drones, destroying it, but it pierces through the purple Formless Kiman, which is still under the effect of Amplify Damage. It recoils from the severe hit, and this clues the girls in that its transformation isn't a big deal. Chez Shay decides randomly to help, and activates a Spear Card. She starts slinging the shots at the remainder of the Shield Drones, and destroys some. Others return fire, and she dodges. They keep shooting, and she swoops about, firing Spear shots while avoiding having them break her card. Zan and Bridgette get an idea from the Kiman's fusion, and focus their elemental powers to form a massive surge of Plasma energy, which they direct at the Shield Drones. Their barriers cannot withstand this double-strength attack, and it destroys all of them, leaving the purple Formless Kiman open to attack. It sprays Ki bolts at them, striking Zan and Bridgette, but doesn't get a chance to do anything else before Bella, Teresa and Chez Shay strike it with a bunch of shots, and it is destroyed. The group speeds on, dodging and shooting at the swarming Attack Drones.

In the distance, the sky is turning dark. At first it looks like thunderheads from a great storm, but the eerie reddish glow of the land itself reveals a more sinister situation. The group observes that the wasteland below them is becoming even more greatly inhospitable, leading onward to what can seen as the forms of volcanoes on the horizon. The flashes of lightning from the smoke clouds, the flying plumes of flame, the rivers and lakes of lava, they all become very distinguishable. And the escape ship heads right on toward that volatile region, while a new batch of Attack and Shield Drones arrive at the fight. These, though, no one saw for sure where they came from. Bella focuses her fire on a lone Shield Drone, which is avoiding her shots and returning fire. As she does, she takes in the stygian horizon that leaves her feeling unsettled, and mumbles, "To think, my sister LIKED that region..."

Bridgette swings her scythe to launch a Firebolt at a damaged Attack Drone, destroying it and sending its wreckage crashing into another droid. She then pauses for a moment when the sight of the land ahead reminds her of something, and inquires, not entirely seriously, "Zan, you wouldn't happen to be able to see any big demon eyes atop any towers out there, would you?"

Lyla swallows hard at the thought of that. Zan, shooting his Pulse Rifle at another droid, having some difficulty hitting it, blinks when he hears her question, looks at her in mild amusement, and replies, "No. And I don't see any hobbits sporting cursed rings trying to get there, either."

Bella sweeps a beam of Light across the swarming droids, damaging several, and, having caught on to what Bridgette referenced, adds, "Good. The last thing we need is Ringwraiths coming after us too."

None of the others understand what this is about, but shrug it off and continue to shoot at the new swarm of droids, while pursuing the escape ship toward the volcanic Getol Mountains ahead.

The new batch of droids are clearly fresh for the fight, and the group does not let up on returning fire, darting about to avoid their shots. However, when yet another batch of droids arrives, Kira happens to notice that she did not see them come from the escape ship. Lyla is distressed by the sudden surge in enemies, and keeps spraying wood bolts from her Tambourines into the new and huge swarm of droids as she exclaims, "There's... so many now! We've destroyed so many, and yet they just keep coming! Where are they coming from?!"

Kira keeps silent for the moment, endlessly firing her FN-P90 while she assesses when she thinks is happening. The droids swarm around the group, and a couple of blue Formless Kimen harass them with shots. In response to all of this, Zan and Bridgette swing about, holding on to each other to produce some rather elegant dance-like movements, as they fling projectiles to damage and destroy droids and the Kimen. Bridgette is feeling slightly more confident, thanks to Zan's firm hold on her, though in the back of her mind, the idea of falling into a volcano is still badgering her just slightly. Bella sweeps beams of Light about, and releases a Cat Bullet to damage many enemies. Teresa continues to fling Bone Spears at any Shield Drones she sees. Chez Shay and The Beast are having a grand time. She shrugs off nearly getting shot by the droids, and slings Spear shots at everything, laying waste to the swarming droids. She does not, however, shrug it off when a large, blue, ballistic projectile darts past her, narrowly missing her, and blasting on impact with Bella, who yelps in surprise. Several more of these projectiles appear amidst the regular shots, and the group sets about trying to find the source. Shortly they realize that there is a new type of droid amidst the cluster. They finally spot one. It looks like a slightly more buff version of the Attack Drone, with a slightly larger gun. It turns, and fires another ballistic shot at Zan and Bridgette, but she smacks the shot away with her scythe. Zan quickly turns his scanner onto the droid. Chez Shay, bearing a malevolent grin, sprays bullets at one of the new droids, and cheers, "Oh goodie! A new toy to break!"

The Beast, however, is highly offended, and with a twitching eye, he roars, "THEY STOLE MY TECHNIQUE!"

Zan just fires his Pulse Rifle shots randomly, as he scans the new enemy, and remarks, "More like they stole Samus Aran's technique. Those things are 'Missile Drones'. Their ballistic projectiles will HURT you if you get shot. Lyla, Chez Shay, avoid them at all costs!"

Lyla promptly activates a Wave Skill Card, and Sasha moves between her friends and the droids to activate her projectile-slowing field again to give the group a reprieve. Chez Shay just looks psychotically pleased, as an increase in danger means an increase in excitement. They continue to battle the droids, the storm of projectiles raging, when the engines of the escape ship audibly intensify. The ship speeds up dramatically, some smoke rising from its damaged tail end, and it moves away from the group, racing onward to the Getol Mountains. Chez Shay, Bella, Teresa and Bridgette quickly become frustrated, with Teresa's pigtails bristling slightly as she fusses, "The ship's getting away!" Amidst this, she casts a Tar Blob onto a Missile Drone, which causes it to explode when it tries to fire a missile. This gives her pause, and she tilts her head slightly as she quietly reacts, "...What the?"

Bella, meanwhile, is firing Light orbs from her wrench, and fumes, "No! We can't let that happen or we'll never find NESTS' base!"

Bridgette swings her scythe to release a scorching wave of flame, damaging numerous droids, and growls when they just keep coming and attacking. "How can we chase it any faster with all of these friggen droids attacking us though?!" she exclaims in anger.

At about this point another batch of droids arrive to assault the group, and the Missile Drones prove a source of increase in difficulty. Teresa, however, has suddenly become aware of something regarding them. Kira, keenly observing where the droids are now coming from, speaks up, "We may not need to worry, people! Haven't any of you noticed that the droids keep coming even though that escape ship has stopped deploying them?!"

The group battles the droids a little longer, and can see more droids flying their way in the distance. They then realize that this is the case. This eases their frustration. Kira adds confidently, "They must be coming from NESTS' actual base in the mountain range! We don't need to worry about chasing that ship anymore. Let's just follow the droids!"

Zan forms a stern demeanor as he quietly remarks, "...Like swimming against the current of a river." Bridgette eyes him curiously.

She looks ahead, and realizes something else. Taking note of the fact they are approaching a volcanic region, she disperses the Fire enhancement of her scythe, and says, "Zan, I'm going to switch to Volt element skills. Since we're going into a volcanic region, Fire's probably not going to work very well." With a flick of her wrist, she electrifies her scythe, and flings a Chain Lightning bolt, which arcs around amidst the droids and causes significant damage and destruction.

He nods, while shooting at the many droids, and replies, "Makes sense. We need to get tougher too."

Teresa suddenly shouts, "Master! Watch this!" He always dreads that phrase, and mutters, "Oh boy..." He turns his head to look at Teresa.

Everyone else observes as Teresa flings another Tar Blob at one of the newly-arrived Missile Drones. It flies around erratically for a moment, then tries to fire another missile. It promptly explodes. Teresa, brimming with eagerness, exclaims, "I found a weakness! I did! Really quickly too!"

Zan blinks on seeing such a thing happen, and comments, "Huh. Seems like they end up destroying themselves when they try to fire a missile with their blocked guns." "They're so stupid!" Teresa taunts with a proud grin.

The group presses on, getting closer to the Getol Mountains, while fending off the swarm of droids. Bella activates a Tail Card to give her the ability to handle droids that are coming from behind, and ends up indirectly helping Kira. Teresa scatters Tar Blobs everywhere, causing many droids to lose control and run into others. Zan relentlessly and accurately fires his Pulse Rifle. Bridgette casts forth swarms of Charged Bolts and supplements them with Chain Lightning, causing droid destruction on a grand scale. Kira moves more aggressively through the enemies, spraying bullets, while her Ether Blob grabs, crushes, slaps and throws anything that gets too close behind her. Lyla keeps a wary eye on the Missile Drones, and shoots at them with her Wave shots, while Sasha has to rest from using her projectile-slowing field, instead releasing bombs to destroy any droid they may hit. Chez Shay focuses on attacking the Shield Drones, since she's the only one still using a barrier-piercing attack. The Beast is still offended by the Missile Drones, and focuses his own missiles on them, chattering about "payback" the entire time.

As the migrating projectile storm rages, however, Teresa becomes pelted by rapid-fire, arrow-shaped bolts of energy, and shrieks. She starts swooping about to avoid the shots, and everyone turns their attention to this situation. They spot a glowing droid amidst the crowd, focusing its fire on her, and Bella, Lyla and Chez Shay immediately notice how remarkably similar these shots are to a certain Skill Card. Teresa swoops up and hides behind Zan and Bridgette to get away from the droid, giving Zan the chance to scan it, and his expression darkens a bit at what he learns. He shortly starts shooting at the glowing droid, as he grimly remarks, "It would seem NESTS has managed to unlock some of the secrets of this region's Skill Cards."

The droid takes the hits, able to withstand them better than the normal droids, and returns fire. Bella is alarmed in general, throws a Cat Bullet out, and asks, "What do you mean?"

Zan introduces this enemy, "That thing is an 'SC Drone'. Three guesses as to what 'SC' stands for, and the first two don't count."

Lyla quickly becomes mortified as she exclaims, "Th-they've figured out how to get their robots to use our Skill Cards?!"

Zan aggressively shoots at the SC Drone, and states, "Yes. This one's assimilated an Arrow Card..."

Disturbed by the concept, Bella, Lyla and Chez Shay turn their focus on the droid. It darts about to avoid their attacks, while returning fire with its Arrow shots. Chez Shay and Lyla move erratically to avoid them and prevent losing their own Skill Cards. A Lightning bolt from Bridgette finishes the SC Drone off, and when it explodes, an Arrow Skill Card falls out. It dissolves away into energy particles as it falls with the droid's debris. The group watches this, the Eihemland witches still quite disturbed that technological entities have the necessary abilities to use Skill Cards. Everyone resumes fighting the droids, flying onward at the same time, toward the volcanic region.

The battle maintains intensity however. Attack Drones swarm about, firing their yellow bolts of energy at the group, which prove largely ineffective against the shielded members. Kira seems to have become the main antagonist for them, as she shifts all around with her GravPack, spraying bullets while her Ether Blob wreaks melee havoc. Missile Drones in lesser quantities dart about, launching their ballistics, the blasts of which shake any member of Bella's group that gets hit. Teresa comes out of hiding behind Zan to deal with these, casting Tar Blobs at them, and releasing the occasional Bone Spear against a Shield Drone that tries to support them. The Beast largely focuses his efforts on them as well, his missiles proving more effective than theirs. A Spear shot from one SC Drone amidst the swarm flashes through the projectile storm, and nearly hits Zan. Bridgette snarls, returning fire with Chain Lighting, which damages the droid and others around it. Zan returns fire as well, and a second shot from the droid hits him. He yelps, and Bridgette gives him an urgent look, only to see that he is unharmed. They both realize from this that the Spear shots of the SC Drones cannot pierce their own shields. It could possibly be due to inferior quality, or to incomplete assimilation of the Skill Card's attributes. At any rate, they're both relieved. Shield Drones take up various formations ranging from walls to rows to orbiting squads, firing their energy shots at whoever they choose. Chez Shay continues to assault them with her Spear Card until it wears off, and when it does, she just activates another one. She barely gets a shot off, however, when she gets hit by a Spear shot from an SC Drone amidst the enemies, breaking her own Spear Card. She flinches, then glowers fiercely, and snarls, "Oh, you wanna play THAT way, huh?!"

She rushes the SC Drone, bearing her teeth like a maniac, and the drone actually seems frightened by it. She shoves her Gunbrella into the drone's barrel and starts firing bullets that badly damage the drone's interior. Another Spear shot strikes Chez Shay, and she screams in pain. She sees a second SC Drone armed with the same Spear Card moving in to support its ally. She lets out a vicious snarl, and her Gunbrella increases in power, shifting into grenade launcher mode. Despite flying at high speed in the air, she can still very effectively control where her grenades will land. She grabs the damaged SC Drone and throws it at the undamaged one. When they knock together, she barrages them with grenades. They take the hits, and do not last very long as the blasts blow them apart. Chez Shay moves on into a crazy frenzy, firing grenades at every enemy she can see. Three blue Formless Kimen arrive, and cause some problems with their bolts. Zan and Bridgette observe Chez Shay's demolition of the SC Drones, and decide to focus on attacking the humanoid energy entities, their combined efforts making short work of them. Lyla fires her Wave shots at whatever, feeling a curious combination of relief that nothing seems to be all that interested in attacking her, and mild inadequacy over her lack of ability to cause any significant damage. She doesn't even need to heal the group anymore, and tries to avoid feeling useless. Sasha stays close to her however, keeping her from becoming too distraught over such dour thoughts.

That is when yet another new enemy appears in the battle. Loud buzzing noises start filling the air amidst the swarming droids, and Bella shrieks. The group sees her being rushed by droids equipped with pairs of mechanical arms, at the end of which are spinning disc blades. Bella gets raked by them, her Tail Card being lost in the process, but her barrier holding out, and she fends them off with slashes of Light. Chez Shay becomes all the more excited. Zan becomes VERY alarmed, yelps, "Holy CRAP," and scans one. After a moment, and with a dreadful look, announces, "...A 'Blade Drone'. Now I'm CONVINCED that NESTS has had some sort of contact with the Combine. Manhacks, anyone?!"

Teresa is quite scared of them, and cries out, "That's terrible! Horrible! Brutal!"

"I LOVE it!" Chez Shay blurts, shooting at them with her grenades, a maniac's grin plastered across her face. In her madness, she does not notice the disturbed looks everyone briefly gives her.

Zan focuses his attention on shooting at the Blade Drones, and exclaims with fear in his tone, "Chez Shay, Lyla, keep the HECK away from those things! They can lop off a limb or even decapitate you!"

Lyla becomes terrified and focuses her fire on them. Teresa flings Tar Blobs at them, but is shocked when they slice through the Tar Blobs with their blades. She resorts to throwing Bone Spears, which work like always. Blade Drones rush at everyone, making the situation more complicated than it already was. Kira sees this as a grand opportunity to show off, however, and has her Ether Blob grab a couple of the Blade Drones that come at her. While shooting at enemies in front of her, she has her Ether Blob literally wield the Blade Drones it has grabbed to slice up other droids. Chez Shay busts out laughing, and the others become very impressed. Bridgette finds that her scythe is very effective at deflecting the Blade Drones as well, and her Chain Lightning works like always, while Zan continues to fire his Pulse Rifle. But then, the situation becomes needlessly complicated, when the entire group suddenly comes under a huge barrage of five-point star-shaped projectiles. They shield themselves with their weapons or arms, and see that the source is a trio of SC Drones that are armed with the Seven Star Skill Card. The group literally has to turn their attention entirely on these enemies, as their spray of shots becomes so distracting that they can't focus on the others. As a result, the Attack, Blade, Missile and Shield Drones start getting free hits in, frightening and distressing the group. Lyla in particular gets shot by the SC Drones, losing her Wave Card, and shrieks, "AAAH! Sasha, do something!"

Sasha focuses her energy to finish a recharge, then flies forward. She prepares to activate her projectile-slowing field, when a Blade Drone slashes her oil lamp shell, and she squeals. Lyla screams in fright, and Sasha hits the Blade Drone with a bomb, destroying it. She ignores the damage to her shell and activates the field, instantly holding off the storm of star-shaped projectiles. Bella, Zan, Bridgette and Chez Shay move in focus their fire on each SC Drone, one at a time, while inside Sasha's field. Kira continues to shoot and slash, and The Beast keeps Blade Drones from reaching anyone inside the field by blasting them down with his missiles. Teresa flings Bone Spears to rip through several other droids, and focuses them on a Shield Drone that is moving to defend the SC Drones, preventing it from reaching them. Lyla checks on Sasha, and is relieved that the slash didn't go deeply into the shell. The three SC Drones are destroyed momentarily, and Sasha disengages the field. The group immediately resumes attacking the rest of the droids, and Lyla takes Sasha under her arm, keeping both hands free for her Tambourines. Sasha retreats into her shell to repair the damage to it, and Lyla sprays wood bolts at the droids, while keeping an eye out for Blade Drones.

They grow nearer still to Getol Mountains, and amidst the swarm of droids, two Enforcers arrive, along with a pair of red Formless Kimen and four SC Drones firing the Wave shot. The fighting becomes intense as a result, with everyone focusing on one of the more significant targets. Bella sweeps a beam of Light across the crowd of droids, and gets hit by a Wave shot and a missile. She throws out a Cat Bullet to rack up the damage on the crowd of droids, and lashes out a Light Slash to strike down a Blade Drone before it can reach her. She rotates her wrench to aim its grappler at one of the SC Drones, and builds a charge. It recognizes this, and starts moving about erratically. Bella just smirks, her little snagglefang visible, finishes her charge, and fires a VividHue Orb at it. The orb homes in on the SC Drone, which tries to shoot it. The shots just pass through, and the orb hits the SC Drone, destroying it in one powerful, iridescent blast that catches the attention of other droids. Bella resumes attacking the regular enemies.

Teresa bashes her scepter on a Blade Drone in retaliation for its raking its blades across her chest, her barrier absorbing the blow. She hits it with a Bone Spear point blank, destroying it, and gets blasted by the beam of a Red Corona orb from a red Formless Kiman. She squeals in fright as she's nearly thrown off her GravBoard, then casts Amplify Damage on the enemy in response, affecting several other enemies in the process. She flings a Bone Spear at it afterward, and it gets hit, jolting hard. Teresa's confidence is strong, despite the storm of projectiles, one missile of which hits her in the back and once again nearly knocks her off her board. She scatters Tar Blobs at several droids, the Missile Drone that hit her included, and notices as a Shield Drone moves to guard the Formless Kiman. Teresa just scoffs in amusement, and throws out a Bone Spear, which pierces through the Shield Drone and the Formless Kiman. They are both damaged, and return fire with their own shots. Teresa swoops about to avoid them, and releases another Bone Spear. This one finishes them both off, and Teresa laughs haughtily.

Zan and Bridgette, staying together still, move toward the other red Formless Kiman, while blasting down numerous droids with Zan's Pulse Rifle and Bridgette's Chain Lightning. They pause briefly as Bridgette deflects a Blade Drone's attacks with her scythe, and cuts one of the droid's arms off with it. It lashes out with the other arm, raking the blade across Bridgette's shielded face, and she snarls. She slams the spike set in the back of her scythe into the underside of the droid, then flings it at the Formless Kiman, who blasts the droid to prevent a collision. This was a distraction, and Zan and Bridgette are upon the Kiman. Zan forms a blade of Plasma energy, and he and Bridgette lay into the Formless Kiman with a series of elegant slashes made during dancing swoops and swerves, with their elemental-enhanced blades. The Kiman tries to fight back by striking them with a searing beam sweep, but their barriers withstand the attack, and while Bridgette struggles to keep her balance on the GravBoard, they are able to destroy the Formless Kiman momentarily.

Kira, meanwhile, is probably shooting down more enemies than even Chez Shay. Firing in all directions, she gets pelted by shots that she ignores, while her Ether Blob slices droids apart with its captured Blade Drones. Kira turns her attention to one of the Enforcers when it chooses her as its target and pelts her with scads of energy orbs. She glides toward it, shooting it with her FN-P90. While some bullets bounce off its frontal energy shields, her persistence eventually crashes the shields, and her bullets start to punch into its armor plating to inflict good damage. As soon as she gets to it, her Ether Blob reaches around and jams the Blade Drones into the Enforcer, nearly slicing it in three. The Blade Drones become stuck, and the Ether Blob releases them. Kira continues to fill the Enforcer with bullets, ignoring the shots and strikes of other droids around her, and her Ether Blob shoves its fingers into the sliced open sections of the droid. Kira watches with a big toothy grin as her Ether Blob proceeds to rip the droid apart the rest of the way, and its remains explode as they fall. She utters a triumphant cackle.

Chez Shay darts about as wildly as she thinks. As much as she likes fighting, she still doesn't care for pain much, and so puts greater effort into avoiding being shot, while still shooting down as many droids as she can. She strikes a Missile Drone with a grenade to its eye unit to blind it, grabs it, and uses it as a shield against a Blade Drone moving in to slash her. She shoves a hand grenade into the ruined Missile Drone, then shoves the droid into the Blade Drone, and backs away as the hand grenade explodes, obliterating them both. She yelps when she is hit by a Wave shot the next moment, and sees two of the four SC Drones moving at her. She swings about to avoid the shots, and decides to activate a Roll Card. Just for the heck of it. She wouldn't dare reveal to the others that she is worried about being hurt. She dives at the SC Drones, dodges a missile, shoots an Attack Drone, deflects a Wave shot, blasts a Blade Drone, and grabs a Shield Drone. Once again, she stuffs a hand grenade into it, then throws it at one of the SC Drones, distracting it by the subsequent blast. She comes upon the second drone the next instant, and, with a psychotic grin, hammers it with grenades at nearly point blank range, until it can no longer withstand the damage. As it plummets, she gets shot by the other SC Drone, but immediately returns fire, and within moments, she finishes it off.

The Beast is having just as much fun, throwing missiles at everything. He blows away an Attack Drone. He gets some amusement when one of his missiles bounces off a Shield Drone's barrier and hits a Blade Drone from behind. He narrowly avoids being shot by an Enforcer, and decides to take on the large enemy by himself. He swoops about, scattering missiles, and lands on the top of the Enforcer. It turns about, trying to get at The Beast, who lets out a large, evil laugh. He creates a big missile over his head. Several droids shoot at it, but The Beast rises up quickly to prevent their attacks from interrupting his. The Enforcer turns to look up at him in time to see The Beast strike the big droid in the face with the huge missile, and the explosion destroys numerous other droids all around it. The Beast's jaw drops when the Enforcer is still functioning after the blast, its energy shields having buffered it from the explosion, though it is still badly damaged. He yelps when he gets pelted by shots from it. With a snarl, he darts down at it, and climbs into the cracks of the damaged droid. It seems to panic, then malfunctions, casting off sparks and randomly firing shots all around, hitting other droids as well as Bella's group. They pay no mind to this, focused on their own targets. Suddenly the Enforcer explodes, and when the blast clears, The Beast is floating there with a power core in his toothy maw. He spits it out, and grins bestially with said toothy maw.

Lyla continues to hold Sasha delicately under an arm to keep both hands free, while shaking her Tambourines to scatter wood bolts, which do little to destroy, but rack up damage for others to take advantage of. She squeals when a Wave shot nearly hits her, and sees an SC Drone focusing its fire on her. Sasha pokes her head out of her partially repaired lamp in response to Lyla's cry, and starts casting bombs at the SC Drone. Lyla activates her own Wave Card, and the two exchange fire for a few seconds. Sasha spots a Blade Drone making a beeline for Lyla, and throws a bomb into its face, preventing it from reaching her. Lyla desperately avoids the SC Drone's shots to protect her Wave Card, and manages to accurately hit the enemy enough to weaken it. Sasha releases more bombs, of which the SC Drone can't avoid them all, and one nails it, destroying it. Lyla feels relieved, and turns her attention to attacking the other droids in the area. They are greatly reduced in number now, with only a fraction of the original number of Attack, Blade, Missile, and Shield Blade Drones still coming at them. And on top of this, they are on the threshold of entering the Getol Mountain range. Seeing their destination's region so close at hand, Teresa nervously says, "...Is it over yet?"

The volcanic region of Getol Mountains is now clearly in sight in the distance, and the overall temperature of the air itself is slowly increasing. Zan shoots a stray Attack Drone, and replies, "Possibly. I am detecting a steady increase in the trace fluctuations of Interdimensional Static ahead, though they are rather muted."

Kira has her Ether Blob grab a distracted Shield Drone from behind and crush it, sneering at the sight as it happens. She looks ahead afterward, and blinks. She shouts, "And I can see the source. Look!" She points with her gun.

In the distance, amidst the many active volcanoes on the horizon and the storm they are creating, is what looks like an airborne base the size of a medium-large floating island. It is midnight blue from what they can tell, and resembles a giant bee's nest; the kind that hangs from the ceiling, being dome-shaped, but flat on the underside, with a pointy tip at the peak of its dome. Bella grows excited on seeing the clearly foreign facility, and exclaims, "Ah! That has to be it! There's our destination!"

Lyla, however, sees something ELSE as well, and cries out in fear, "There's a huge robot coming!"

They take notice that there is indeed a massive droid approaching. Airborne as all the rest are, and flanked by a small fleet of Attack, Blade and Missile Drones, is a gigantic Enforcer. Much larger than the others, it is even bigger than the Super Enforcer they fought back in the NESTS Expansion Base Factory, and that one was quite big. Bristling with cannons, it doesn't even give them a chance to react before it opens fire with a salvo of missiles and blaster shots. The girls shriek, dodge, shoot and deflect the missiles. They are shortly beset upon by the smaller droids, while the massive one opens fire with its other weapons, spraying star-shaped projectiles from an equipped Seven Star Card, Wave shots from a Wave Card, AND Spear shots from a Spear Card. This terrifies Bella and Lyla, to see the huge thing wielding three different cards at once. Chez Shay immediately shoots at it, but a barrier system becomes visible to block her grenade blasts, and she flinches, then snarls. The group is forced to stop their forward progress by this massive droid, as it fires its projectiles at everyone at once. Zan promptly scans it, while moving evasively with Bridgette in hand to avoid its attacks. He even seems to have difficulty scanning it, but eventually collects enough data to tell the others. He says, "...'Mega Enforcer'. Guess they must of named it in a hurry? It's armed to the teeth, as we already know, along with three different Skill Cards, and it has a Hardened Shield system."

Bridgette deflects a few missiles from the Mega Enforcer and Missile Drones and returns fire with a Chain Lightning blast to damage some of the minions. On hearing "Hardened Shield System" she fretfully exclaims, "Hardened Shields?! Like the ones Protoss Immortals use?!"

Zan shoots at a Blade Drone that is getting too close, but has a tentative expression amidst his stern and determined demeanor. He replies, "Similar, but not exact, which tells me it's a coincidentally-created parallel. Either way, this guy's going to hold us back and make our attack difficult if we don't do something about it."

Bella grins with visible catlike fangs, and declares, "Then let's do something about it!"

She flings a Cat Bullet at the Mega Enforcer, and its recursive shots hit other droids along the way. She brings up a Light Screen to supplement her Contour Barrier, and grits her teeth as the shields are battered by missiles and the Spear shots. She yelps when one of the Spear shots pierces through her Light Screen and grazes her shoulder, though her own barrier holds it back. At the same time, an Attack Drone shoots her from the side. She returns fire with orbs of Light, destroying the Attack Drone, but the Mega Enforcer's barrier absorbs all the attacks, including the Cat Bullet, which bursts on its Hardened Shields and fails to do any actual damage. Teresa attempts to use Amplify Damage on the Mega Enforcer, but the ability fails outright, and she becomes distraught. She gets slashed by a Blade Drone, and turns to smash it away with her scepter, then gets hit by one of the Mega Enforcer's missiles, and squeals in fright. Zan fires a few Pulse Rifle shots, but they do no good against its Hardened Shields. He turns his gun on the flunky droids instead. Bridgette flings a Chain Lightning bolt. While the bolt hits the big droid's barrier and arcs off to hit other droids, the Mega Enforcer remains undamaged, and returns fire with a Spear shot. Zan swings Bridgette out of the way and gets hit instead, with a jolt, and frightening Bridgette. Zan's barrier takes the hit, but it seems to have been hit harder than expected. He becomes wary, and does not notice when Bridgette gives him a look of gratitude for his noble action of using himself to protect her. Kira sprays bullets angrily at the Mega Enforcer. These, too, fail to have any decent effect. Her Ether Blob grabs a Missile Drone that is moving in to hit Kira at close range, and throws it at the Mega Enforcer. The drone explodes on the big droid's shields, without leaving a mark. Kira clicks her tongue in irritation. Chez Shay continues to pummel the barrier of the Mega Enforcer with her grenades, and gets shot by its star-shaped projectiles for her effort. Her Roll Card takes the hits, but eventually breaks, and Chez Shay gets pelted by a couple additional shots before backing off and snarling. The Beast throws only one missile at the Mega Enforcer, which deflects off the barrier, before he starts ignoring it and attacks the minor droids all around instead, which he can waste with ease. Lyla is too afraid to start attacking it to begin with, and when she sees that everyone else's attacks have no effect, she turns her attention to helping the others by clearing out the Mega Enforcer's minions instead, firing Wave shots at the Blade Drones that get too close, and shooting a Missile Drone when it fires a shot at Teresa. The group flies around the Mega Enforcer, trying to avoid its many projectiles, while dealing with the small fleet of supporting droids. The Mega Enforcer keeps track of all eight of them, Sasha still being carried by Lyla, and unleashes a continuous stream of missiles and blaster shots. The girls are becoming more and more frustrated, all of their attacks being completely absorbed by the tough energy shields surrounding the droid. Bridgette keeps slinging Chain Lightning bolts at the Mega Enforcer, which do no good against its Hardened Shields, but do hit other droids to damage and destroy them. She fusses, "What, did they manage to reverse-engineer our Contour Barriers afterall?!"

Kira has turned her gun on the droids around her instead, and responds, "This thing's shields are different from ours! They're more like the Bubble Shield than the Contour Barrier!"

Zan shoots down a Missile Drone, gets shot by an Attack Drone, and returns fire, maintaining his composure. He muses out loud, "That would make sense. NESTS did manage to gain access to the realm of the UNSC. ...I wonder if they're warring with them, too..?"

Bella sweeps Light Blast Beams, devastating the regular droids but failing to cause any more than faint flickering on the Mega Enforcer's Hardened Shields, which frustrates her. She lashes a Light Slash at a too-close-for-comfort Blade Drone, and mutters, "This still must be what it feels like when our enemies fight us..."

Teresa is very irritated, shouts, "Who cares?!" casts a Tar Blob at a Missile Drone to stop it from harassing her, and continues, "Master?! What are we gonna do?!"

He shoots down the Attack Drone, then gets shot by a Missile Drone, and crimps the side of his mouth at the annoying underling droids. He rolls his eyes, and responds, "Don't ask me! Bella's the leader!"

She gets shot by the Mega Enforcer's Wave shots, jolting from the impacts, and glowers. "Oh that's REAL supportive, Zan!" she shouts, then gets shot by the Mega Enforcer's Spear shot, which causes her to think of something. "...Hey, wait a minute!" She activates a Spear Card, and fires a shot. She becomes dismayed the next moment when the Hardened Shields of the Mega Enforcer are able to withstand the piercing effect of the Skill Card, and cries out in sheer exasperation, "No! Can NOTHING penetrate that barrier?!"

Teresa flings a Bone Spear. It succeeds in piercing through the barrier, and her eyes widen in delight when the droid jolts lightly from the hit. The group immediately clusters around Teresa to defend her from the other droids. She promptly forms a smug look, and states, "I assume everyone saw that? Looks like I get to be the hero again!"

Kira sprays bullets at a passing Attack Drone, and snarls, "Shut up and shoot, tarbaby!"

Chez Shay fires grenade shots at charging Blade Drones, and complains, "That is so TOTALLY unfair!"

Teresa fires forth Bone Spears, which pierce the Hardened Shields and damage the droid. It promptly returns fire with a salvo of missiles, but Zan, Bridgette, Kira and Lyla shoot them down before they can reach the group. However, it soon becomes evident that Teresa's Bone Spears are inflicting very little damage. The Mega Enforcer keeps shooting back, not showing any signs of wearing out. Teresa slowly becomes more frustrated as this goes on. As her frustration grows, she finally growls, "Ergh..! I can't seem to kill it!"

Chez Shay, launching grenades at the other droids still, responds, "Of course not! Have you ever tried to stab a whale to death with a pencil? I have, and it took me HOURS."

Kira promptly stops to give Chez Shay an incredulous look, and flatly says, "You seriously haven't actually done that..."

The Beast throws a missile to blow away a Blade Drone darting in toward a perceived opening, and replies, "YOU BETTER BELIEVE IT." Kira facepalms.

Zan has been deep scanning the Mega Enforcer during the duration of this stalemate skirmish, and comes upon vital data. After analyzing it, he speaks up, "Hold up, Teresa. You may yet be able to break this deadlock. I am detecting four Shield Cores within the body of that droid." He gets shot by the Mega Enforcer's Spear Card, the jolt rather painful, reacts, "ERGH!" and shortly continues with a grim expression, "...I am able to tell where they are. If you can hit them with your Bone Spears, you may be able to kill its Hardened Shield system."

Bella destroys another Blade Drone, and blocks a Wave shot from the Mega Enforcer with a Light Screen. She gives Zan a look of admiration, and says, "See, I KNEW Zan would know what to do!"

Bridgette scatters Charged Bolts to drive back a tightly clustered bunch of Blade Drones, and chastises, "It's the _leader's_ job to know what to do, Bella."

Bella gets shot by an Attack Drone, and, being irritated by the situation already, becomes infuriated by Bridgette's words. She stops attacking the enemies as she vents, "And it's the rest of the TEAM'S job to help the leader when she can't figure EVERY SINGLE LITTLE THING out on her own! Part of the reason why I'm the leader is so that I can learn! That's right, I admit it! I DON'T KNOW EVERYTHING!" Bridgette is taken aback by this, and Bella pants angrily.

Lyla, firing Wave shots, becomes quite distressed by the infighting, and sadly pleads, "Everyone, please stop fighting each other! We need to beat the robots, not ourselves! C'mon!" Bella and Bridgette, however, are just frustrated, and give each other apologetic looks.

Once the tirade settles, Teresa declares, "Let's go, master!"

He hands Bridgette's balance support over to Bella, surprising the two, considering they JUST butted heads a moment ago. He moves behind Teresa, and she gives him a cute look. He smiles and nods, then focuses on the Mega Enforcer. It fires a Spear shot, amidst many star-shaped shots, at the group, and it hits Kira, who snarls. Fortunately, the shot failed to pierce her barrier. Zan finds the first Shield Core in the left internal section of the droid. He points, and with a squeak, Teresa flings a Bone Spear. Her shot pierces the droid's barrier, and nails the Shield Core, destroying it. The Hardened Shields flicker, but maintain their potency. The rest of the group fights back against the dwindling fleet of smaller droids, and the Mega Enforcer launches another salvo of missiles that the group gets pummeled by. Their barriers hold up, though Bella and Lyla lose their Skill Cards from the barrage. Teresa pensively waits until Zan finds the next Shield Core in the droid's lower section. He points, Teresa fires a Bone Spear, and the big droid shifts out of the way, frustrating Teresa. She flings another Bone Spear, and the droid dodges that too. She narrows her eyes, and flings a Bone Spear, then another where the droid moves to, and hits the Shield Core. The droid is clearly becoming alarmed, and starts to move about erratically, surprising the group with its ability to move with such agility, given its size. Zan scans for the next core while Teresa throws more Bone Spears randomly at the droid, inflicting more minor damage. Suddenly the droid's Hardened Shields flicker again, causing the two to flinch, and when he checks, he laughs, finding that she, entirely by fluke, hit one of the Shield Cores. Teresa grins proudly, and keeps throwing Bone Spears. The Mega Enforcer desperately shoots at the group with its volleys of shots, and they struggle to hold up against it. Just when it seems like they are being overwhelmed by the agitated Mega Enforcer, Sasha finishes the repairs to her shell. She darts out between the group and their enemy, and activates her projectile-slowing field, thoroughly relieving her friends. They maintain their attention on destroying the further reduced number of minion droids, and Zan finds the last of the four Shield Cores in the Mega Enforcer. He directs Teresa, and she throws Bone Spears with a steady squeal. The Mega Enforcer swoops about, trying to avoid them, but ultimately fails to succeed, as the fourth core is struck and ruined. Everyone watches as the Hardened Shields of the droid form cracks, then shatter like glass, leaving a regular energy shield behind. The Beast yowls a shrill warcry, "KEEEELL EEEET!"

Everyone IMMEDIATELY turns their attacks on the Mega Enforcer. Bella throws a Cat Bullet and adds to it with Light Blast Beams. The Mega Enforcer returns fire with its missiles, blasters and Skill Card shots, which Sasha holds back as long as she can. Teresa keeps flinging Bone Spears. The remaining Attack Drones fire upon the group rapidly. Zan fires his Pulse Rifle at the Mega Enforcer. The Missile Drones pelt the group with their ballistics. Bridgette flings Chain Lightning bolts, which arc off to hit, damage and destroy some of the other droids. The Mega Enforcer's shields fail. Kira sprays bullets, Chez Shay fires grenades, The Beast flings missiles, Lyla scatters wood bolts. Sasha's projectile-slowing field ends, and the group scatters to avoid the held-back wave of shots from the Mega Enforcer. They keep shooting the big, unshielded droid. Their solid projectiles bounce off its armor, and their element attacks seem to have little effect. Bridgette, Kira and Chez Shay snarl in powerful frustration. Lyla and Bella become greatly distressed. Teresa's pigtails sag, and she whines in great aggravation, "NOW what?!"

Zan, still shooting it, starts scanning it again, and realizes he missed a piece of information while analyzing for a way to deal with the shields. He exclaims, "Argh! Not only does this thing have Arctanium Plating to nearly neutralize physical attacks, it is focusing and amplifying the energy of its three Skill Cards to highly resist elemental attacks! Seems like only Teresa's Bone Spears have ANY decent effect on it!"

Teresa continues to launch her Bone Spears, piercing into it and damaging it a little with each shot. The group keeps trying to damage it as well, though they also turn their attacks on the other droids once they realize they can't quickly finish this battle. Kira shoots down a Blade Drone and turns her fire on another, as she loudly complains, "I'm getting SICK of this guy! It has NO weak spots! Even its EYE units are armored!"

Chez Shay is vaulting grenades at the Mega Enforcer, evidently for the heck of it, and calmly comments as though this were a mundane situation, "Like I said, penciling a whale to death."

The Beast, however, is as annoyed as the rest as he replies, "I HATED THAT WHALE THIS MUCH TOO."

Lyla frets, "This is so dreadful! I don't want to be stuck here fighting these things for forever!" She yelps when a shot from an Attack Drone darts past the back of her head.

Zan is still scanning the Mega Enforcer, and he shoots the Attack Drone in response to its nearly striking Lyla, as he replies, "Neither do I, Lyla... But I can't find a weak point on it ANYWHERE. Not even its rear end is vulnerable!"

Bridgette, meanwhile, is thinking about what Bella said regarding needing the rest of the group to help the leader with ideas. Up until now, she had thought of Bella as being a know-it-all, so hearing her say what she did surprises Bridgette and changes her opinion of Bella's role in this mission. She is indeed still learning, and the fact she admits that is proof of progress up front. Bridgette is still beside Bella, who is giving her balance support. Bridgette flings a Chain Lightning bolt at the minor droids, and the shot destroys several of them, leaving only a few remaining. When they get so scarce though, they get harder to shoot down. The two move quickly out of the way of a Wave shot from the Mega Enforcer. Bridgette watches Teresa frustratedly shooting the huge droid, and looks at the others as they fend off the reduced number of droids. Then she flinches, and her eyes widen, in clearly what is a "light bulb" moment when an idea pops up in her mind. She remembers the use she had for the Compression Phaser Rifle that Bella lent her. For just a moment she becomes distracted with slashing down a Blade Drone via her scythe, then speaks up, "...Bella, do you still have that Compression Phaser Rifle?" She ends up getting shot by an Attack Drone and counters it with a regular Lightning bolt, sending it flying hard to the side in malfunction.

Bella sweeps beams of Light at the droids, damaging and destroying some, and responds, "Yeah..?"

Bridgette blinks when she finds nothing to attack, and turns her attention fully to Bella, as she explains, "That weapon was really good at finding weak spots in the armor plating of that Super Enforcer Zan and I fought to get our weapons back from. If you can use it to cut off a piece of the droid's armor, we can MAKE a weak spot!"

Everyone else becomes excited at the idea. Especially Bella. She takes out her Compression Phaser Rifle, and gives it, then Zan, a fond look. He smiles at the look Bella gives him, and pleasantly comments, "Who woulda thought that thing would be THIS useful?"

Bella hands Bridgette's balance support back to Zan, and gives the gun another warm look as she says, "When we get home, I want this thing commemorated and placed in the Armory." He takes hold of Bridgette's hand once again, and replies with a smile and nod, "I hear that."

Bella flies at the Mega Enforcer. The group scatters around, taking down the remaining droids, while Bella starts firing the Compression Phaser Rifle in focus fire mode at any gap she can find in its armor. She gets shot by a missile and swerves around violently to avoid the rest, firing orbs of Light from her wrench's grappler, aimed behind her, to stop the chasing missiles. She keeps firing into the gaps of the huge droid's armor, and veers downward to avoid being struck by Wave shot. A Blade Drone slashes her unexpectedly, and she strikes it with a Light Slash to send it tumbling away. She fires another shot at a gap in the armor of the Mega Enforcer, and sparks fly out. She immediately focuses her fire on that spot, and the sparks intensify. The Mega Enforcer responds by moving to get that spot out of Bella's sight, but she flies with the big droid's turning, and the two end up spinning round and round in place like a planet and its satellite as the droid frantically tries to stop her. She sees the armor plating starting to peel at the spot where she is focusing her fire, and increases the power output of the rifle. The section of plating starts to crack, and smoke and sparks fly from the spot. The Mega Enforcer scatters missiles at Bella, but Kira, Zan, Bridgette and The Beast shoot at them to stop their approach before they can hit her. A satisfyingly loud crack is heard, and the plate of armor on the droid suddenly pops loose and hangs there, exposing circuitry and components. Bella immediately shoots at that spot, but flinches when Zan flies up, with the Determination Icon in his cybernetic eye. He hands Bridgette's balance support back to Bella, surprising them both, then dives at the Mega Enforcer, putting his Pulse Rifle away as he does. It sprays star-shaped shots at Zan, but he holds his arms up in front of himself to defend, until he is right up upon the droid. The girls flinch when Zan literally thrusts his arms into the exposed section of the droid. He starts ripping and yanking and tearing components out, as he literally digs his way into the droid. It jolts about erratically, clearly panicking, and scattering shots randomly in all directions. Eventually, Zan's kicking legs are all that are visible, and only briefly at that, before he disappears inside the droid. Along with everyone else, Lyla becomes especially distracted by this, and laughingly remarks, "I would be terrified of a scene like that if I didn't know Zan was doing it deliberately."

Sasha nods, watching with her mouth hanging open slightly. She replies, "I know, right? It almost looked like the droid ATE him, rather than what he was actually doing!"

Chez Shay finds it extremely funny, and is laughing heartily. She exclaims, "Aw, MAN that is hilarious! I think I love that man more now than I did before!"

The Beast blinks when he remembers doing just that not too long ago, forms a big shark-tooth grin, and says, "...HE MUSTA SEEN ME DO THAT EARLIER... HAR HAR HAR!"

Bridgette stares with a very weird look, which slowly converts into a short laugh, and she comments, "...Zan... What a strange man you are." She, Bella, Kira and Teresa are highly amused.

The Mega Enforcer suddenly starts to spark violently all over. Its eye unit explodes. Its missile launchers explode. Three plates of armor blast off of its body. Then two more. Then half of the remaining blasters on the unit explode. Finally, the entire droid goes up in a great big blast, and parts go flying in every direction. The girls shriek, and shield themselves. Chez Shay shoots grenades to destroy the flying debris that nearly hits her, while Lyla just ducks down on her carpet, squealing in fright. When the blast clears, Zan is standing, back on his GravBoard, holding the Primary Power Core of the droid in his hand. He promptly absorbs it, grinning fearsomely, and his cybernetics glow very strong for a few moments afterward. He turns, and gives the girls a formal bow. They cheer uproariously.

Their celebration is cut very short, when the remaining droids, possibly upset over the destruction of the Mega Enforcer, intensify their efforts to attack the group. They vigorously shoot at them, and the Blade Drones rush them. The group responds by returning fire immediately, and clustering together again. Bella shoots at an Attack Drone with her Compression Phaser Rifle, and declares, "We're almost there! Let's finish this!"

Lyla is only mildly joyful as usual, and timidly comments, "I get a distinctly bad feeling that we won't be finishing this for a little while longer still."

Zan takes charge of Bridgette's balance support once again, and she gives him a cute look over his strange way of finishing off the Mega Enforcer. He pretends to have no idea what the look is for, and replies to Lyla's comment, "You may be right, but this is the battle that we were just delayed from experiencing at the very beginning. Now comes the next test in your leadership abilities Bella. Lead us to victory!"

She triumphantly declares, "To victory!" and points at the airborne base in the distance.

The group charges onward toward the NESTS base amidst the volcanic storm clouds in the distance, resuming their fast flight, and shooting at droids that get in their way as they go.

~Waypoint 21: Getol Firefight~

The Getol Mountains, a region of upheaval and inhospitable atmosphere, spreads out before Bella's group as they fly. Coming here brings back a few unpleasant memories for Bella specifically, as she can't help but recall the problems her family gave this realm years back. Zan, too, recalls how he helped the Eihemland Witches defeat Amalgam Kallous' daughters to stop the revival of the great evil Draupnir. Now, the region is overrun with a new threat. And both Bella and Zan aim to stop it. The first thing they notice, though, after entering the region, is the serious heat that fills the air. Clouds of ash hang above them, and lightning regularly dances across the sky. The land below glows with the rivers of molten rock that flow from the numerous active volcanoes. Kira can't help but wonder exactly what is going on beneath the land that could cause so much volcanic activity, and she also can't get over the fact that it's so close to what were essentially pristine hills of green several miles south. She takes in the intimidating, yet beautiful sight of lava pluming out of a volcano, and comments, "This place is an aberration. Is there some kind of humongous magma dome beneath the land here or something?"

As they fly along, Bella keeps an eye on lurking Attack Drones, too few in number at the moment to be a threat. She replies, "Eihemland scientists had been trying to study the region for a while, but they hadn't figured anything out before I left a couple years ago. I still doubt that they have."

Bridgette is growing steadily more nervous for some reason. She yelps when an Attack Drone darts out and shoots her. She promptly responds with a Lightning bolt that damages it, and it backs off. She looks around afterward, seeing all of the molten features of the realm, and remarks, "I'm reminded of a few places... Char, in particular."

Zan sighs, and responds, "If ONLY there were Zerg here." He watches the embers dancing upward as they fly along, and says, "I'm just glad that our Contour Barriers include an Environmental Resistance feature."

Teresa can literally see the air itself wavering because of the heat, and finds herself unnerved by the sight. She exclaims, "We'd be getting so badly cooked if not for them!"

Zan spots and shoots at the Attack Drone that shot at Bridgette when it draws near for another attack run, destroying it. He checks for other enemies, and on seeing them keeping away, he lowers his gun as he keeps flying. He elaborates, "Contour Barriers allow air in, but prevent external influence from changing internal temperatures, while still allowing body heat to radiate out, resulting in a regulation of internal temperature that does not fluctuate beyond a couple of degrees, regardless of what extreme heat or cold may be on the outside."

Kira reaches back to feel her Contour Barrier, snug against the small of her back inside her bathing suit, and is undoubtedly impressed. She says, "These devices are such ingenious creations. I need to find the guy who invented them and start up a dialogue." Zan passes a hidden look of amusement at Kira. Evidently she hasn't learned yet that HE was the one who invented the version they use. He says nothing to reveal this.

Having brought up the subject of heat, Bella looks at Chez Shay as they fly along, knowing that she is not protected like they are, and asks, "Um... Chez Shay, are you going to be alright?"

She is sweating a bit, but gives Bella a mild look, and flatly replies, "Alright about what?"

Bella narrows an eye, clearly able to tell Chez Shay is exposed to the heat, and states, "...It's really hot here, and you don't have the shielding we do."

However, Chez Shay becomes genuinely puzzled at Bella's weird concern, and says, "It's hot?"

As Bella stares in confusion, which is spreading to the others, The Beast floats close to her and whispers, "SHE'S TOO CRAZY TO NOTICE THE WEATHER..."

Bella blinks, then rolls her eyes, and responds, "I should have known." The others mutter a little.

Chez Shay just becomes more thoroughly confused, and reacts, "What? WHAT?" She looks around at everyone, who are all avoiding eye contact with her now.

Bridgette turns her own attention toward Lyla, and notices the glistening sheen of sweat on her largely exposed body. She doesn't look as uncomfortable as Chez Shay, however, so Bridgette inquires, "Lyla, how about you? Will you be alright?"

She proceeds to give the group a rather uncharacteristically confident and amused smile, and calmly answers, "You people are silly. Did you forget? I was born, raised, and still live in a pretty hot desert! This is nothing special."

Everyone else becomes amused by this, and Bella responds, "Hah. If LYLA is feeling confident about it, then I guess we don't have to worry."

Lyla's confident little smile converts into a grateful one, and she bashfully says, "Thank you for asking, though."

Bridgette nods. She's still quite nervous though. The group continues their flight over the volcanic region toward the NESTS base in the distance.

A blue Formless Kiman makes an appearance, reminding them that they are in hostile territory here. It flings Ki bolts at them. Its presence also rouses the wary Attack Drones and lone Shield Drone that had been following the group, but were keeping their distance. The droids dart in to attack like predatory fish waiting for an opening. They are immediately counter-attacked. Bella puts her Compression Phaser Rifle away, and fires bolts of Light at the droids, destroying one of the more damaged ones right away. Teresa flings a Bone Spear at the Formless Kiman, damaging it. Kira is shot by one of the droids, and counters with a spray of bullets from her FN-P90. No one else gets to do anything, however, before a massive, molten boulder, inexplicably able to float about in the air, drifts into the middle of the fight. One of the distracted droids crashes into it and is destroyed by the intense heat it is radiating. The other droids back off immediately, and the Formless Kiman loses sight of Bella's group thanks to the boulder. They, too, become distracted by the huge obstacle. Kira in particular is staring at it with wide eyes, one of which twitches, and she exclaims, "What the HECK?"

Teresa is highly alarmed by the huge thing as everyone avoids getting near to it, and she stammers, "Is... Is that boulder... floating?"

Zan, however, finds the sight familiar, despite its peculiarity, and says, "Oh yeah, I remember those things..." He takes a moment to scan it, and forms a grimace as he adds, "...And just like last time, I am not detecting ANY means for it to be able to do float the way it does..."

Kira is absolutely confounded, and shouts, "That should not be possible then!"

Bella points to other boulders floating around, as the group approaches the zone within the mountain range where they are abundant, and says, "You remember, Zan? Those things are all over this region."

He nods, but also happens to see the blue Formless Kiman again, and opens fire on it, as he replies, "I do. Another bizarre phenomenon of the region. They get so numerous in some places that they remind me of an asteroid field." The Formless Kiman gets shot, and returns fire, rousing the smattering of droids to rush in again. Zan and Bridgette avoid its attacks, and everyone responds with counterfire on the droids.

Another boulder moves close by the group as they shoot at some of the enemies, and comes rather close to the careless Chez Shay. She suddenly notices that she is sweating something fierce. She takes off her tie in response, and has her vacuum cleaner suck it up into its bag. Only The Beast notices this, the others distracted by the rather mild skirmish. He pays no real mind, and flings a missile at an Attack Drone.

Kira is distracted more by the boulder than the enemies as she flies with the group, and barks, "Will somebody PLEASE explain how they can float?!" She suddenly gets shot by an Attack Drone, realigning her focus, and she returns fire while snarling in reaction.

Bridgette half-heartedly replies, "Another weird trait about this land, I guess?" She watches yet another floating boulder as they fly by, and the droids still menacing the group try to stay out of its way.

Lyla is helping deal with the droids, spraying wood bolts from her Tambourines at them. She comments, "Now that I think about it, Eihemland is full of floaty objects, isn't it?"

Bella shoots down an Attack Drone in response to its firing upon her. She replies, "Yeah, actually. Floaty plants in the forest, floaty whales in the arctic, floaty rocks in the volcano region."

Kira looks at Lyla, and her mysterious outfit, and remarks, "Not to mention Lyla's floaty pants." Lyla hunches and blushes slightly on hearing this. Kira then thinks of something, and mutters, "...Maybe this planet has a skewed gravity system then..." She steers clear of another boulder as they speed along through the volcanic region.

The group continues their flight, and shoots at any droid they encounter. As they fly, another boulder passes by them, and they keep out of its way, able to tell that hitting it would cause about as much damage as touching lava itself. Chez Shay shoots at one with her grenade launcher, and it breaks apart into smaller pieces that scatter in every direction. She gets a laugh out of this, despite the fact that the fragments nearly hit Bridgette, Kira and Lyla. The former two yell at her as they fly, and she just snickers.

The group draws ever closer to the NESTS base. The droids move in again to attack them, and the Formless Kiman, now behind the group, follows after them. Zan shoots back at the Formless Kiman, and the group moves out of the way of a floating boulder, shooting at the droids as they get shot at by them. Suddenly the sounds of heavy weapons fire starts up in the distance, and very large shots come flying in at the group in large numbers, causing the girls to yelp. They look ahead, and see that they are now being shot at by dozens of guns on the side of the NESTS base. Bella's eyes widen in fear, and she yelps, "Anti-Air guns?!" She narrowly dodges a shot, scowls, and shouts, "Looks like this is where the challenge begins!"

Chez Shay quickly becomes excited again, forming a psychotic grin, and yells, "FINALLY!" She moves about wildly to dodge shots, and she shoots at a droid at the same time. "I was worried this was gonna be nothing more than a Sky Tour of Prehistoria!" she comments with eager anticipation of the battle ahead.

The Beast, fortunately, is small enough to be very difficult for the anti-air shots to hit. He exclaims, "I WISH THERE WERE DINOSAURS! I'M HUNGRY ENOUGH TO EAT ONE!"

The group is forced to dart and dodge very erratically to avoid the storm of shots that has started up from the base. The Formless Kiman attacks the group too, but Zan's shots add to the damage it has already sustained. Teresa ends up getting shot from behind by it, and, irritated at not having finished it off earlier, hits it with another Bone Spear, eliminating it. Just in time, that is, for Lyla to yelp. When the group looks at what she's spotted, they see a single, glowing-red SC Drone heading their way all by itself amidst the rain of anti-air fire and the remnant of droids still harrying them. Kira, Chez Shay, The Beast and Teresa scoff at this droid, but Zan, being aware that an enemy attacking alone is often a sign of a severe threat, scans it, and immediately becomes alarmed. He doesn't get a chance to say anything, however, before the SC Drone launches a humongous Fireball at the group. They cry out, and the Fireball slams into Kira, severely damaging her Contour Barrier, which sparks visibly and flickers, warning that it has been nearly knocked out. She screams in terror, and is thrown back into Lyla in the process, who squeaks when the two collide. After a moment, Kira's barrier begins regenerating, and she gives Lyla a dark look, to which Lyla just shrinks back. Sasha finds this amusing though. It seems as though Lyla is destined to help Kira constantly while she's in this realm. Meanwhile, Bella hollers in horror, "Was that what I think it was?!"

Zan quickly acknowledges, "Yes! That one has the Fire Bomb Card! With NO limitations! Beware!"

The SC Drone shoots another humongous Fireball at the group, and they swerve around to just barely avoid it, their evasions made difficult by the anti-air fire. Zan and Bridgette end up squeezing between it and a floating boulder, and their Contour Barriers are stressed by the hot pinch. Bridgette makes the mistake of looking down as they move, and sees the cauldron of a volcano directly below her. She feels her heart leap into her throat, and ends up closing her eyes tight in strong fear, wobbling badly on her GravBoard. Zan passes a concerned glance at her as the two move. Bella shoots at the SC Drone, and manages to get a couple of hits in before it launches another humongous Fireball at her. She dives to avoid it, and crashes into an Attack Drone. It shoots her, and she Light Slashes it. The SC Drone fires another humongous Fireball at Chez Shay, and she laughs it off, shooting the Fireball with her grenades to make it detonate prematurely. She uses the blast as cover to get around behind a floating boulder, and circles the boulder to sneak up on the SC Drone, where she hits it with grenades. It surprises her with a quick dodge after taking only one hit, turns, and launches another humongous Fireball. She ducks behind the floating boulder to avoid it, then realizes that she is burning up. She sighs in exhaustion, stops for a moment, pulls off her boots, feeds them into her vacuum cleaner, then removes her stockings as well, and stores them the same way, leaving her legs uncovered. She kicks them in the air to cool down slightly, and nods in satisfaction. The SC Drone, assuming that Chez Shay seems to have gone into hiding, turns in response to being shot by the group, to shoot another humongous Fireball at Teresa, who screams, and swoops upward, surfing the Fireball as she narrowly avoids it. The Beast moves in with a snarl and flings a missile, damaging the SC Drone, and it responds with a Fireball that hits him and sends him flying with a horrible little yowl. Kira, still set down on Lyla's carpet, is still annoyed with her, causing her to whimper slightly. Kira's Ether Blob reaches up suddenly and catches The Beast. He is on fire, so the Ether Blob briefly engulfs him to stop the flames. He emits a weak groan, and Lyla looks at him worriedly. She takes out a Health Potion, and he snatches it to consume it. He quickly becomes restored, and gives Lyla a devious grin, but also nods as thanks. She just feels grateful for being able to help someone. Meanwhile, Chez Shay darts back out from behind the floating boulder and shoots at the SC Drone with her grenades. Teresa flings a Bone Spear, and Zan and Bridgette shoot at it with Pulse Rifle shots and Lightning bolts. All of these attacks miss, as not only does the SC Drone swerve real hard to avoid them, the group only gets to fire a few shots before they have to move to avoid anti-air fire, AND the lone Shield Drone moves to support the SC Drone with cover, blocking Zan's shots. Bella moves close to Teresa, catching her attention, and comments, "That thing's using Fire, and you know what happens when Fire meets your tar, right?"

Teresa is already very nervous, and has to avoid an anti-air shot that zips by overhead. She mutters, "Right..."

Bella moves with her to avoid more anti-air fire, but also gives Teresa a devious little cat grin, and says, "Take advantage of that."

Teresa stares at her for only a moment, before she shortly realizes what she is getting at. She reacts, "Oohhhh... Oh YEAH! OH-HOHOHO!"

She moves around in the air, skillfully avoiding anti-air shots, working her way toward the SC Drone. It is distracted as it launches a humongous Fireball at Chez Shay at the moment, and she is forced to dive to the side to avoid it. The Beast finally notices that her legwear is missing, though this only briefly distracts him. The Shield Drone shoots at Teresa, but she nails it with a Bone Spear on the approach, jolting it hard, and catching the SC Drone's attention. Teresa flings a Tar Blob the moment she gets close enough, and it splotches down on the SC Drone. It moves around, trying to shake the stuff off, and Teresa swerves away to avoid the damaged Shield Drone's shots, as well as anti-air fire. Zan and Bridgette, Kira and Lyla, Bella, Chez Shay and The Beast all turn their attention back to the few droids still harassing them, while keeping an eye on the SC Drone. It then does what they were hoping for. It attempts to launch a Fireball, and promptly explodes in a humongous blast much like the ones its projectiles were making, destroying itself, along with the Shield Drone that remained close by. Bella forms a big, proud smile, and declares, "I am sooo glad I chose to bring you with us Teresa!" Teresa adds in gleeful enthusiasm, "How awesome is that?!"

The group continues their approach toward the base as best they can, given the difficulty spike of the situation brought about by the enemy fire. For now, they have managed to avoid being shot by the anti-air guns. But as they get steadily closer, the enemy guns' shots seem to get more numerous as they come into range of more of the guns.

And, as if the situation couldn't get any worse, or possibly because someone made the mistake of thinking that, a very loud explosion catches the group's attention. At the same time that a large floating boulder passes by the group going one way, they see flaming rocks come flying at them from another direction, coming from the cauldron of a volcano. With the anti-air shots flying their way at the same time, the very air becomes absolutely filled with criss-crossing projectiles. Half of the remaining droids are demolished by the flying rocks, and the girls shriek. They swoop about as hard as they can to avoid the flying rocks from the volcano below. Kira's Ether Blob punches one of the rocks to prevent it from hitting her. Zan pulls Bridgette behind him and shoots at the rocks heading his way to destroy them. Teresa, too, hides behind Zan and Bridgette. Lyla screams, and Sasha releases bombs that blast any flying rocks that might hit her and Lyla. Chez Shay opens her Gunbrella to shield against the rocks, and tugs at the collar of her dress, finding herself to be overheating. She sighs in exhaustion again. Teresa is trembling at the chaos, and sweating out of fear rather than heat. She looks over at Bella, who is using a Light Screen to shield herself from the double storm, and complains, "Bella, is the actual environment attacking us or something?!"

Bella dodges an anti-air shot, keeping her Light Screen focused on the flaming rocks. She shakes her head fretfully, and responds, "It sure FEELS like it is, but I don't actually BELIEVE that!"

Kira's eyes are wide in alarm and confusion, and she yelps, "This is insane!" Her Ether Blob smacks away another flying rock, and she adds, "We're being shot at by the droids, the base, and the VOLCANOES?!"

The Determination Icon is strong in Zan's cybernetic eye, as he checks regional scans while shooting the rocks, and a droid trying to take advantage of the situation. After a moment, he comments, "This region wasn't this volatile when I came here last time. In fact, it's quite a bit moreso than before."

Bella fires a beam of Light at a droid trying to get a shot in, driving it off, and acknowledges, "Definitely! I mean, this place was no haven, but from what Lilly told me, it wasn't THIS bad!" With a yelp she blocks a flying rock with a Light Screen, just barely holding it back.

The flying rocks finally stop as the volcano finishes its eruption. The group is no safer however, with the anti-air fire and the relentless remnant of droids shooting at them still. Zan focuses on dodging as he flies, and explains, "My regional scans indicate that this area has signs of residual dimensional damage. From what I know of it, that's most likely the result of the Interdimensional Static appearing here. It seems directly related to the cause of the volcanoes becoming more active, agitating them into such violent eruptions. We already know that Static can disturb the... environ...ment..." He trails off, eyes widening, when he notices what Chez Shay is doing.

The others also notice as a result of Zan's trailing off. Chez Shay is pulling her blue dress off. Using a floating boulder as cover from the anti-air fire, but not the sight of the group, Chez Shay removes her dress, leaving on her white underdress, which is soaked with sweat. After tossing her hair to loosen and straighten it up, she feeds her dress into the vacuum cleaner, then notices the group staring at her. She snaps, "What?! Stop staring at me! Have I got something stuck in my teeth?" She starts picking at her teeth to check.

Bella first ducks with a reaction of fright at an anti-air shot passing overhead, then gives Chez Shay a suspicious look as she remarks, "...So you ARE too hot!"

Chez Shay tugs at her sweat-soaked underdress and responds calmly, "Yeah, I guess I am... It's really weird. When did it get so hot?"

The girls and Zan are baffled by Chez Shay's unfamiliarity with convection. The Beast, however, acts as though this is no big deal. Unfortunately, this distraction proves detrimental to the group, when Zan gets nailed by a shot from an anti-air gun that causes a blast so forceful it nearly throws both him and Bridgette off their GravBoards, and causes their Contour Barriers to flicker erratically. Everyone screams in fright, and moves to help them recover, grabbing them to keep them from falling. Bridgette frantically checks on Zan, and is relieved to find that his Contour Barrier held out. He grips his head for a moment and shakes it. "Ergh... Those guns are powerful... Don't let them hit you like I made the mistake of doing!" he shouts.

Kira angrily points at Chez Shay and exclaims, "It's Chez Shay's fault for distracting you!" She sees and narrowly avoids a shot herself with a yelp.

Chez Shay's eyes flare with anger at being blamed for that, and shrieks, "DON'T BLAME ME FOR HIS GETTING DISTRACTED you blue-haired midget!" Kira grits her teeth fiercely. "I have no idea why I'm getting so hot!" she adds, tugging a little at her white underdress, which is so soaked it is clinging to her body, and has become partially transparent, resulting in a rather alluring spectacle.

The group, however, ignores this, as they try desperately to avoid the anti-air fire, keep away from the floating boulders, and maintain their aerial trudge toward the base. The very few droids remaining have all but stopped their attack runs.

Bridgette, however, is now clinging to Zan, trembling and wobbling as they fly. He looks at her in tender concern, and can tell she is very afraid of falling, having come close a couple of times already. She keeps looking down at the lava and volcano cauldrons below, and hasn't been able focus on helping with the situation much. He begins to worry that if he lets go of Bridgette for anything for just a second, she really will fall. Finally, Zan stops his approach flight, and everyone else immediately notices. They cluster around in response. Teresa, as usual, is the first to speak, "Master? What's wrong?"

He is looking at Bridgette in great concern, and comments, "This is not going to work. Thanks to Chez Shay's joke about falling into a volcano, Bridgette is unable to focus or fly straight at all."

Her eye twitches, and she stressfully exclaims, "I'm SORRY, ok?! I already said I hate these stupid flying surfboards! I didn't want to use one from the beginning!"

Chez Shay recalls her joke, and becomes amused again, but says nothing when Bella, Kira and even The Beast give her warning looks to keep silent. Zan, meanwhile, proceeds to put his Pulse Rifle away, and rests both hands on her arms, getting her full attention. He gives her a soft look, whispers, "It's ok, Bridgette..." then declares, "Sasha, give us some cover! Everyone, keep the droids and rocks away!"

With an acknowledgement yelp, Sasha flies ahead of the group and creates her projectile-slowing field, which gives the group a much-needed reprieve from the anti-air fire. The others stay clustered around the two, and aim their weapons at any droids they see. The droids, for their part however, are more or less unable to do anything, knowing they are too few in number to attack the group and survive. They seem to be waiting for something...

Bridgette watches with curiosity as Zan points his fingers at his and her waists. Red wireframes in the shape of harnesses appear on their bodies, and when Zan's fingers start firing the dancing microbeams, the equipment very quickly fills up to full energy state, then converts into matter, solidifying into completion. Bridgette's eyes widen. When the harnesses are complete, an energy tether forms between the two, connecting Bridgette's to Zan's. The others stare at this, and smiles form on their faces. Even Kira is impressed. Zan looks into Bridgette's quivering purple eyes, and tenderly explains, "With these equipped, you cannot get a certain distance from me, much less fall off your GravBoard, so you don't need to be afraid anymore."

Bridgette's eyes soften with the warmth of love, and she exclaims, "Oh, Zan! Thank you!" She throws her arms around him and kisses him on the lips. He wraps his arms around her for the duration of it.

Lyla forms a delighted smile, and says softly, "That is just so sweet."

Chez Shay, meanwhile, smirks, and snarks, "Well, that settles it. Bridgette has had to be leashed." She gets glared at by the others, but just snickers. She tugs at the collar of her sweat-soaked underdress too, though.

The moment is interrupted, unfortunately, when Sasha suddenly shouts, "More enemies are coming!" The group looks ahead. A large floating boulder has passed by in front of them, and beyond it is a big crowd of droids of all types, including several SC Drones, flanked by some blue Formless Kimen. The group readies themselves. Sasha adds with strain, "I gotta drop this field too!"

Everyone moves out from behind the field, and the moment Sasha ends it, all of the anti-air shots her field caught pour fourth past the group. The guns at the base do not cease their shots just because droids have moved in to attack their targets. The Missile and Attack Drones open fire right away, but despite the incoming enemies and hail of shots, Bella's group presses forward toward the base. They promptly return fire on the droids, and engage them in a new mid-air skirmish. Bella flings a Cat Bullet, its recursive, claw-shaped shots scattering about to hit and damage many targets. Bella promptly gets blasted by a missile from a Missile Drone and yelps. She swerves hard to the side and fires beams of Light at the droid group. An anti-air shot whizzes by over her head, and her cat-hat squeals in fear, frightening her. She gets rushed by a pair of Blade Drones, but preempts them with Light Slashes, and destroys one before the other rakes her with the blade, striking against her barrier. She counters quickly with another Light Slash, and gets blasted by an Attack Drone's Charged Shot. She rotates her wrench suddenly, smacking the Blade Drone into the Attack Drone, and starts building a charge. Several Shield Drones form a wall in front of her, and she scowls. She fires the neam anyway, and it presses against their shields. They manage to hold against it, but get pushed back, and end up coming into contact with a boulder, destroying the entire batch. Bella grins, and the others notice that forcing enemies against boulders is a good way to destroy them. Bella gets pelted by Arrow shots from an SC Drone, and returns fire with orbs of Light.

Lyla scatters a storm of wood shots from her Tambourines, and Sasha, needing time to regenerate her energy, supports with bombs. The droids and a Formless Kiman dart about to avoid her shots, and return fire. She responds by gliding all around, and yelps when an anti-air shot brushes the side of her carpet, though it fails to actually directly hit her. She quickly activates a Spear Card, and starts flinging the strong shots, especially when she sees a Shield Drone. The droids respond by forming orbits to shoot at her, and she squeals when one shot strikes her shoulder, breaking her Spear Card before she barely had a chance to make use of it. Sasha retaliates with a bomb that destroys a droid, then another when it flies into one of her drifting bombs while focusing on shooting at Lyla. She yelps in pain when the Formless Kiman hits her with a Ki bolt, and tries to get out from amidst the surrounding droids. Sasha darts around her mistress, releasing bombs, and the droids make an effort to avoid them, though there are enough of them moving about that not all are able to succeed, several being blown apart. Lyla shrieks in fright when a Blade Drone rushes up and slashes its weapon right in front of her. She avoids it by backing up suddenly. She quickly looks at her chest to make sure she wasn't hit, and Sasha counters with a bomb. The Blade Drone attempts to destroy the bomb with a slash, which just makes the bomb pop and destroy the droid's arms. It backs off, as the Formless Kiman moves in again, and Lyla activates another Spear Card to shoot with, while evasively adjusting her position to avoid the shots coming at her from all directions.

A loud explosion echoes, and more flaming stones come flying at the group. The droids, too, are forced to dodge the flaming hail, and several of them are struck and destroyed, including an SC Drone as it was moving into position to shoot at Kira. A Formless Kiman is slammed as well, and is sent flying. One of the flaming stones strikes Teresa, and knocks her clean off her GravBoard. She screams, and Zan's Alarm Icon forms. He looks, in time to see Teresa's GravBoard swoop down and she lands on it. Their hearts beat a little faster for a few minutes afterward, and Bridgette squeezes Zan's hand to comfort him. They dance about together, battling the droids, Zan firing his Pulse Rifle endlessly, and Bridgette swings her scythe to launch Lightning bolts and scatter Charged Bolts. Many droids are hit by the drifting Voltage clusters, and take damage. A Formless Kiman moves in and flings Ki bolts at the duo, and its shots hit both Zan and Bridgette when they are forced to avoid another flaming stone. They yelp at being shot, then scream when a flaming stone slams into Zan, nearly knocking him off his GravBoard, and then an anti-air shot smashes into Bridgette, throwing her clean off. She screams as she falls, then suddenly bounces and swings around on the tether connecting them. She ends up bouncing back upward as though it were a bungee cord, and she snatches her GravBoard with her free hand to put back under her feet. Zan keeps firing at the Formless Kiman, and looks at Bridgette. She is terrified, but at the same time now very excited. The use of the tether has been proven, and she no longer fears falling. Her confidence up, she flies out at the Formless Kiman and slashes it with her scythe, damaging it. An SC Drone opens fire on Zan with its Arrow shots, and he, now no longer worried about Bridgette, turns his attention to shooting back. They dodge the anti-air fire and other flaming stones as best they can in the mean time.

Kira sprays her FN-P90, but her expression is that of great confidence, keeping a grin on her face. Her Ether Blob lashes out to kick a droid moving in from behind, and Kira turns all around as she flies, shooting bullets like a flying machine gun nest. A Blade Drone rushes in and slashes her across the chest, her barrier taking the hit, and she has her Ether Blob reach around and crush the droid between its hands. She gets hit by a missile, turns, and shoots that droid with her gun, punching it full of holes. She gets struck by a flaming stone, jolting her hard and damaging her Contour Barrier, but her Ether Blob grabs it, and throws it at a Formless Kiman, totally catching it off guard and sending it flying. Seeing THAT, makes Kira laugh, and her confidence only continues to rise. Then she is blasted by an anti-air shot, and shrieks, her Contour Barrier flickering erratically. She realizes she needs to move around more, and starts doing so. She keeps her eyes ahead toward the base, and avoids additional shots, as she battles the droids, firing her gun all around. Her Ether Blob snatches an Attack Drone out of the air and throws it at another, but a Shield Drone blocks the hit. Kira notices this, and swoops toward a batch of Shield Drones. She ignores being shot by them, and has her Ether Blob grab a couple, their shields unable to block grabs. She sneers, and starts using her Ether Blob to skillfully deflect enemy shots with the captured Shield Drones. The others notice this amidst their battles, and find the tactic very much like something Kira would use. She may be the one out of them all that is fighting the most effectively.

Teresa, on the other hand, is still quite limited in what she can do, and can feel this problem gnawing at the back of her mind. She wishes she had a greater repertoire of aerial skills. Her focus is adjusted when she is blasted by a Missile Drone, and remembers that she can still help. She swoops about like a skilled sky surfer, avoiding anti-air shots and flying rocks. Her legs are blasted by another missile, and she staggers. She casts a Tar Blob onto that droid in response. It subsequently blows itself up. She spots a wall of Shield Drones providing cover for an SC Drone and several Attack Drones, and casts forth a few Bone Spears to damage them. The SC Drone comes out and barrages her with Arrow Shots, and she yelps, her barrier absorbing the hits. She casts Weaken on the entire cluster of droids. Their shots suddenly inflict very little damage to the group's barriers. Teresa focuses her power, turns, and casts Cripple on a cluster of Blade Drones that were moving toward Zan and Bridgette. The droids become so weak they can't even spin their blades to slash with. They hover there, trying to recover, and cannot escape when a floating boulder drifts right amidst them, destroying all of them. Teresa grins confidently, then gets shot by a Formless Kiman. She turns, her eyes widen, and she ducks so hard she nearly falls off her GravBoard, avoiding an anti-air shot that would have hit her head and launched her. She throws a Bone Spear at the Formless Kiman immediately after, and swoops away to avoid additional attacks.

The Beast flies about much more wildly than the others. Being a small target, about the size of the droids themselves, he is almost impossible for the anti-air fire to hit. He keeps the heck away from the flying stones though, and when a Blade Drone flies up to slash at his neck, he bends backward to avoid it, forms a missile mid-reaction, and slams it against the droid point blank, to destroy it. The other droids seem to deem him a lower-priority target, and he still feels offended by the fact that the Missile Drones have "stolen" his attack method. He scatters missiles all about, trying to make himself stand out more to the droids, and some respond to his destruction of their allies by turning their fire on him. He slides around in the air, cackling and snarling, flinging missiles and trash-talking.

Chez Shay, her underdress clinging snug to her body, most of her form visible through it, is dripping with sweat, but is extremely excited as she flies about, firing grenades at the enemies. An SC Drone focuses its Arrow Shots on her, and she returns fire with her explosive projectiles. The droid quickly blows up, reducing the number of projectiles in the air by only a fraction. Shots from Attack Drones, Shield Drones, Missile Drones, a flaming stone or three, and the endless hail of anti-air fire has her at her fullest state of excitement. Grinning wide like a sociopathic shark, she fires grenades in every direction. She hits a floating boulder, and its fragments scatter, hitting many droids, and Kira, again, aggravating her. A Formless Kiman flings shots at Chez Shay, but she avoids them and hits it with blasts from her grenade-launching Gunbrella. She blasts away a flying stone that comes very close to hitting her, and smacks an Attack Drone, stunning it long enough for her to grab it. She shoves a hand grenade into its armor, then smacks it away with a baseball-bat swing of her Gunbrella. It explodes amidst a number of other droids, including some Shield Drones that failed to aim their shields at it, destroying them. An anti-air shot comes flying in from amidst these droids, and strikes Chez Shay as she turns to shoot at another enemy. Her scream of pain catches everyone's attention as the blast throws her off to the side and she disappears behind a floating boulder.

The Terror Icon envelops Zan's cybernetic eye as she shouts, "CHEZ SHAY!" Kira's eyes widen in shock, as she was quite close by, getting the best view of the horrible sight, and she yelps, "Oh CRAP!" The Beast is absolutely mortified, yowls, "NO! ARGH! and becomes enraged, breaking into a frenzy of more aggressive missile throws.

Chez Shay's roar of rage promptly catches their attention, and possibly relieves them, as she returns to the fight. Blood is flowing, amidst her sweat, from nearly the entire right half of her body, her right eye is closed as blood flows down over that side of her head and face, and the right half of her underdress has been demolished. Some other portions of her dress are on fire as well. But now, her Gunbrella has maxed out power, and is spraying rockets as fast as a machine gun. She fires many of them toward the base itself, with those that get through the anti-air fire hitting the base to leave some blast marks, and damaging one anti-air gun. She turns her fire on the droids all around the group, snarling viciously. The droids respond by scattering and darting to avoid some of the rockets, though her shots hit many others, quickly reducing their numbers with one-shot KOs. Lyla, however, swerves through the chaos to get to Chez Shay. She squeals in fright, "Chez Shay! You're wounded!"

Chez Shay, enraged, shakily responds, "No DUH, sand-for-brains! ARGH!" She swings her Gunbrella about, launching rockets endlessly. Lyla reaches her and yelps, "Here!" She takes out a Health Potion. Chez Shay does not react to this, just growling, "GRRR!" shooting the droids in blind fury, and she snarls ferociously, "I'M GONNA MESS YOU UP!" Lyla shakes the Health Potion, trying to get Chez Shay's attention, and cries, "Heerrreee!" Chez Shay just keeps firing rockets, and shrieks, "DIE DIE DIE!" She just keeps firing the rockets, explosions filling the air as enemies are demolished and scattered.

Lyla suddenly grabs Chez Shay, surprising her, and she throws Lyla a one-eyed stare of pain-filled rage. Lyla resists being frightened by this, as she gently says, "Chez Shay, drink the potion... Please..."

Chez Shay keeps staring at her for a moment, but her furious stare eases up just a little. Finally, she replies, "...Who woulda thought you actually cared, floaty-pants." She snatches the potion and drinks it. The wounds close up within seconds afterward, and the blood clears away. Lyla forms a soft smile on seeing the excellent level of quality her healing potions can provide, and Chez Shay gives her an unnerving look, handing her the empty bottle. "...I do NOT owe you," she states.

Lyla just backs off, satisfied that Chez Shay's wounds are healed, and resumes flinging Spear shots at the enemies. The others resume their fights as well, but Bella maintains a longer look of concern for both Chez Shay and Lyla for a moment, until being shot by a Shield Drone forces her to turn her attention back to fighting. Chez Shay notices the destruction of her underdress. Seeing it still soaked with sweat, half shredded, and burned in places, she also still feels inexplicably hot. She proceeds to yank it off of herself, causing the others, and actually some of the droids too, to flinch. She tosses her hair again to loosen and straighten it up, then feeds the ruined garment into her vacuum cleaner. This leaves her reduced to her little, white, equally sweat-soaked panties, which are partially transparent too. Her breasts bounce when she yanks the dress off, becoming freely visible, and her body shimmers with sweat in the molten and electrical light. Bridgette can't help but turn her sight at Zan, to see what his reaction is. He has an expression that is clearly a mix of amazement at the beauty, pleasure at the sexy, and surprise at the audacity. But then he shakes it off, notices Bridgette, and gives her a look that reminds her that now is hardly the time for him to be distracted by such wondrous sights. She remains amused. They resume the fight.

Bella blasts the Shield Drone with a Light beam, but it blocks the attack. She uses this as a distraction, however, to fly up to it and cast a Light Slash between it and its shield, destroying the droid. She also launches another Cat Bullet to damage many droids, and yelps when a flaming rock rushes by below her. Another loud explosion from another volcano warns the group of another storm of stones on approach, and the hail of anti-air fire from the base keeps them on their toes. Teresa flings a Bone Spear at another Formless Kiman, gets shot by a Missile Drone, and gunks it up with tar. She hits another batch of droids with Amplify Damage, and notices as they start taking heat damage from the convection. She promptly sets about trying to hit every enemy she can with this, and the droids panic. Zan and Bridgette take each other's hands, and swing about, flinging shots and deflecting shots. Bridgette slashes a passing Attack Drone with her scythe. Zan pelts a Formless Kiman with Pulse Rifle shots. The two lose their balance when a flaming rock rushes overhead, then jump apart when an anti-air shot nearly hits them. Bridgette is momentarily frightened when the shot passes through their energy tether, but it fails to actually hit the non-solid energy. Kira continues her havoc-wreaking, her Ether Blob using its captured Shield Drones to stop many attacks on Kira, while she returns fire with her FN-P90. The Ether Blob seeps into the captured droids, and also takes control of their guns, which it uses to shoot at the other droids. None of them expected this, and get shot and damaged. Chez Shay and The Beast reunite, and turn about in the air as they fly, scattering explosive projectiles in many directions, destroying flaming rocks, floating boulders, all manner of droids, and a Formless Kiman. Lyla and Sasha, too, have managed to hold their own, desperately avoiding the anti-air shots and flaming stones. Lyla's Spear shots pierce through enemies, inflicting strong damage, and Sasha's bombs add to it, but a shot from the last remaining SC Drone breaks her card, and she yelps in frustration.

That is when the group notices a pair of very large floating boulders moving toward each other in what will clearly be a dramatic collision. With a yell, they speed up their approach flight, and the droids respond with chasing. The group slips through the narrowing gap between the boulders just before they collide. The impact creates an immense explosion that throws the group forward some distance and annihilates over half of the droids attacking them. The force of the collision produces a massive wave of heat, and everyone's Contour Barriers become visible for a few seconds during it. Chez Shay gasps in shock from the heat, while Lyla continues to act like it is nothing; a mere desert gale as far as she's concerned. The group resumes their flight toward the base, and their fight against the droids that managed to get through with them. Sasha, feeling her recharge complete, flies ahead of the group and activates her projectile-slowing field again, giving them cover and rest from the anti-air storm. In addition, the flaming stones have stopped for now, possibly because of the disruptive blast of the colliding boulders. However, everyone, droids included, momentarily becomes distracted, when they notice Chez Shay stand up on her vacuum cleaner as she flies. They watch in disbelief as she draws down her sweat-soaked panties, taking them off completely, and feeding them into the vacuum cleaner, rendering her completely nude, but for her red, rabbit-ear headband. She notices the group's staring, and groans, "Ugghh... Sweating like a naked mole rat... I am so freakin' HOT!" At this point, she realizes something, and notices Zan's looking at her, his eyes unable to avoid taking in the sights of her body. She adds, "...In more ways than one, right?" and gives him a very suggestive grin. She pushes her backside out a little in his direction and fans it with her free hand.

Bridgette, Bella, Kira and Teresa quickly look at Zan, while Lyla just stares in astonishment at Chez Shay still. The Beast continues to act like this is no big deal. Zan catches himself staring at Chez Shay's body, and softens his look, focusing his eyes on her face, as she sits back down on her vacuum cleaner while giving him a seductive look. He looks at the others, and can see that they really want to know what he thinks of this. He is about to speak, when he gets shot in the back by an Attack Drone's Charged Shot, ruining the moment. The group, irritated by this, returns fire on the droids. Bella sweeps Light beams upon the enemies. Teresa flings Bone Spears at any Shield Drone getting in the way. Zan fires his Pulse Rifle at everything. Bridgette launches Chain Lightning bolts to hit many droids, and slashes a Blade Drone with her scythe. Kira fires her FN-P90 as her Ether Blob utilizes the captured Shield Drones. The Beast flings missiles everywhere. Lyla scatters her volleys of wood bolts. Sasha ends her projectile-slowing field, and the storm of anti-air shots resumes. She returns to Lyla and releases bombs at targets. Chez Shay, in all her glistening nudity, sprays rockets and darts about to avoid the renewed storm of projectiles, her boldness epitomized by the fact that she is willing to fight against these dangerous enemies in this dangerous environment, literally wearing no protection whatsoever. And she definitely enjoys it. The breeze she can produce by flying around soothes her overheating body, and the danger invigorates her.

The NESTS anti-air guns boom with shots at the group, endlessly trying and failing to shoot them down, with Chez Shay being their only near-success. A pair of volcanoes erupt, releasing flaming stones that fly in every direction, including toward Bella's group. They desperately avoid the shots, obstacles, and the enemies still attacking them. However, the group has left the general field of the floating boulders, and the base is very clearly visible before them now, only a few more minutes of flight remaining. This is when the anti-air guns stop. While some members of the group are relieved, the others immediately go on alert. And not just from the sudden lull, but from the fact that they can hear a very loud sound emitting from the base. The sound of a rising energy tone. A glow begins to emit from a section of the base. When they focus their sight on the source, they can see an enormous cannon, mounted to a deck set into the upper, sloped section of the base's roof. They can see it gathering power into itself. The Terror Icon forms in Zan's cybernetic eye, again, and he literally screams, "INCOMING!"

The group scatters in every direction, screaming and shrieking, as the great cannon, with a thunderous boom that matches the volcanic explosions, fires a humongous laser at the group; the same laser as the one that they had to dodge before. The laser erases many of the droids and Kimen who failed to avoid it in time, obliterates flaming stones it comes into contact with, and even cuts a swath out of the floating boulder field the group had to pass through, leaving a few dust particles and a very wide gap behind. The force of the wave shocks the group again, and Bridgette once again falls off her GravBoard, only to swing back around thanks to the tether. She lands back on her GravBoard and holds a hand against her chest, having been forced to experience a double-scare. The group, their hearts racing, returns to each other after a couple of seconds. Teresa is shaking, tears in her eyes, and instantly clings to Zan like a big, cute magnet. She shrieks, "MASTER! THAT WAS TOO, TOO CLOSE! I'm so scared!" and buries her face in his chest to escape the situation for a moment. He holds her closely, his cybernetic eye's symbol reduced to the Fear Icon for the moment.

Bridgette, still clutching her chest, panting in shock, also moves to cling to Zan, sharing the space with Teresa, and stammers breathlessly, "If... if you... if you hadn't... Zan... I..." He holds both Bridgette and Teresa, and tries to help them calm down, exuding Tranquility energy unto them, and really the entire party.

Chez Shay was rendered extremely excited by that near-death experience, and laughs quite insanely for a moment. She remarks, "Do you all get the distinct impression that they REALLY want us dead?! HAH!" The Beast was a little more distressed than his mistress by that attack, and roars toward the base, "WRRYYYYY!" while his arms are outstretched to the sides.

Lyla is trembling uncontrollably, tears flowing down her eyes, and her sweat is rolling with them. She whimpers, "Sasha... I wanna go home..." "I know... I do too..." Sasha whispers back, trembling also.

Kira is more astounded than anything over how desperate their enemy must be to resort to using what is clearly a siege weapon against such small and soft targets. She shouts, "Ok, THAT was TOO much! That was like trying to shoot down insects with an anti-air laser!"

Chez Shay snerks, immediately alerting Kira to the incoming snark, "Are you admitting that you're a bug?"

Kira keeps a cool head for once as she growls, "If you keep that up, I swear I'm going to have to hurt you." She glowers in response to Chez Shay's sneer and "bring-it" gesture.

However, while everyone tries to recover from the huge attack, Bella glares at the grand cannon, with an unusually determined expression. She finally shouts, "EVERYONE!" Her sudden volume causes them to flinch. She authoritatively orders, "I want that cannon destroyed! Now! If that thing is allowed to exist, it'll be a danger to all of Eihemland!"

Chez Shay smirks as she wipes some sweat off her forehead and bare breasts. She gives Bella a wry look with an arched-eyebrow and remarks, "You ACTUALLY just want revenge, don't you?"

Bella doesn't let this bother her, as she nods hard and responds, "Heck yeah! It nearly killed us! I'm sure you feel the same way! Let's destroy that thing! Let's go! Let's show them we mean business!" She points angrily toward the cannon as she shouts.

Chez Shay's smirk converts into a psychotic grin as she readies her Gunbrella in a gesture that makes her breasts bounce. She exclaims, "You an' me, thinkin' the same way!" "LET'S DOO THEES!" The Beast snarls excitedly.

Teresa is encouraged by Bella's determination. Having felt some comfort from Zan's Tranquility, and her heart-rate slowing, she releases him and steels herself. Bridgette, also having recovered from the shock, now finds herself angry at the enemies. Zan can sense that the group is rallying for a direct assault, and does so himself. Kira was already angry to begin with, but is now grinning. Lyla and Sasha are very hesitant, but know they really can't turn back now. Zan finally shouts, "ATTACK!"

The group rushes onward toward the base at top speed, firing their weapons as they fly, at droids that are ahead, as well as the base itself. Bella leans forward, firing Light beams. Teresa crouches low on her board to increase her speed, and casts Bone Spears. Zan and Bridgette orbit each other, Bridgette wobbling regularly, and the two launch forth shots. Kira's Ether Blob extends its arms out to the sides like airplane wings, as she leans forward in her flight, firing her gun. Chez Shay leans forward very sharply, holding her bare backside high in the air, higher than her head's height, as she speeds forward, firing rockets from her Gunbrella. The Beast emits a steady roar as he flies, throwing missiles wildly. Lyla and Sasha nervously follow the group, and Lyla readies a Seven Star Card she had been saving until now, while Sasha focuses on finishing her energy recharge in preparation for defending them.

Seeing that their heavy laser failed the job once again, the anti-air guns immediately resume firing, and intensify their efforts. The air once again fills with the hail of anti-air shots trying to shoot Bella's group down. They swoop and swerve, dodge and dart, roll and evade, and return fire with all of their projectiles. They are also met with the shots of Missile, Attack and Shield Drones, and a Red Corona orb from a red Formless Kiman. Ahead, they see a very large fleet of the droids speeding their way for one more effort to stop the group from reaching the base's outer surface. Two red Formless Kimen lead the fleet, and sweep their beams to strike half of the group, missing Chez Shay and Lyla, fortunately. Their beams and the shots of some of the droids connect, but are absorbed by the group's barriers. Bella grits her teeth in determination, thrusts a hand to point forward valiantly, and declares, "Do NOT let them slow us down! Punch a hole in that flying trash heap!" Kira, spraying her gun, is quick to respond as usual, "They'll probably be all over us once we reach the base anyway!"

The group keeps speeding forward, and clash with the droids the moment they meet. Bella lashes out Light Slashes at the droids, rolls in the air to dodge a series of shots from a droid, and throws an orb of Light in its face to destroy it. She launches a Cat Bullet, its recursive projectiles damaging many droids at once, and she sweeps Light Blast Beams across the clustered droids, damaging many more and destroying some. Teresa hits both Formless Kimen with Amplify Damage, and follows up with a Bone Spear through the chest of one of them, injuring it significantly. She is nailed by a missile from behind, and the distraction causes her to be hit by the Ki bolts of the other Formless Kiman, but she responds by scattering Tar Blobs in every direction, and smashes her scepter onto a close Attack Drone, sending it flying against a Blade Drone. Zan again gives Bridgette that idea look she dreads, and she sighs, resolving herself to it. They grip each other's arms again, and start spinning, their melee-weapons extended. They fly against as many enemies as they can, and also hit the undamaged Formless Kiman repeatedly. They end up destroying it before it can do much more than throw an orb at them, and their blades slice through many droids during the maneuver. Bridgette gets the idea while whirling to scatter Charged Bolts in every direction, hitting still more droids. An anti-air shot hits them mid-spin, but they literally bounce off of the shot's blast, and maintain their spinning attack for several more seconds. Kira sprays bullets in every direction, cackling as she does. Her Ether Blob throws the captured Shield Drones at other droids, destroying the two that get hit, and snatches a pair of Missile Drones to capture them as well. It seeps into them to take control of them, and forces them to fire missiles at the other droids, inflicting significant damage to the masses. Chez Shay swoops about, laughing with insanity, her nude, glistening body dripping with the sweat of adrenaline and heat, as she sprays rockets at the rate of a machine gun. Everything hit gets destroyed quickly, and she dives sideways to avoid an anti-air shot. She focuses some of her rockets on the base itself, now well within range of her weapon, and inflicts some more minor surface damage, as well as cripples one of the anti-air guns. Her attention returns to the droids when one of the Attack Drones shoots her in the side. She blows it away the next moment. The Beast, too, roars wildly as he flings missiles indiscriminately, focusing on the Missile and Blade Drones. It takes a few more than just one missile to destroy his targets, compared to Chez Shay's more powerful rockets, but as he attacks, he riles himself up enough to create a huge missile, and he throws it at the damaged Formless Kiman. The blast finishes it off. Sasha scatters her bombs about at the crowd of droids, and the slow-moving but powerful projectiles eventually meet with random targets to cause heavy damage and destruction as the droids rush about, firing shots and avoiding attacks. Lyla activates her Seven Star Card. While she was already able to fire a wide arc of shots, they are now more powerful, star-shaped projectiles, and she quickly racks up damage amongst the crowd of droids.

The group does not slow down their rush toward the base amidst all of this. Within a few moments, they punch through the crowd of droids, with over half of them destroyed, and reach the outer surface of the base.

The group turns to fly upward along the midnight-blue hull of the floating structure. They dodge about to avoid as the anti-air guns continue to shoot at them. The group responds by shooting at the hull itself as they fly, and focus their fire on anti-air guns whenever they spot one. Striking the base with attacks also results in droids of all kinds coming out of pore-like hatches in the base's hull. Attack, Blade, Missile and Shield Drones swarm forth to attack the group, and for every one they destroy, two more seem to appear. Bella streams Light Blast Beams across the structure surface, their follow-up explosions of Light doing at least a little damage. An Attack Drone chases after her to shoot at her. Teresa creates Tar Pits beneath some of the guns within their slots in the hull, and the guns collapse into the pits. A Blade Drone flies into her face to slash her barrier. Zan holds Bridgette more closely as they fly, as she is rather dizzy from the spin attack, and he shoots at the droids swarming after them with his Pulse Rifle. Bridgette swings her scythe to slash a Missile Drone coming in close, and casts Chain Lightning out to strike some of the other droids and an anti-air gun. Kira and Lyla just dodge the guns' shots, their weapons not effective for damaging fortifications, and instead focus on shooting the droids. Kira handles those coming at them from behind again, while Lyla scatters her star-shaped shots at the many ahead of them. Chez Shay, The Beast and Sasha's ballistic projectiles, by contrast, are highly effective against the anti-air guns, and they destroy several of them all along their flight course. They continue to race along, several feet above the structure's surface, and shortly realize that the base is huge. Teresa flings a Bone Spear at a Shield Drone and dodges getting shot by another, as she notices the size of the base, and exclaims, "Wow! This thing's as big as a town! How come we don't have a base this big?!"

Bridgette flings more Chain Lightning Bolts, smacks away a missile, and adds, "Yeah, Zan, why is that?!" She gives him a sarcastic look, knowing full well why.

He is shooting his Pulse Rifle at everything, and responds over the din of the firefight, "Do you all realize how many resources it would take to build something this big?! It would be like rebuilding the entire Estate all over again! As it is, the Gofer Sisters have been eating up a lot of our resources on their Capital Ship project! I know I said we have a pile-up, but it's not the size of Scrooge McDuck's vault!"

"OR CHEZ SHAY'S BUTT..." The Beast adds, having gotten a very clear view of Chez Shay's sweat-coated backside during their attack run. She snerks, actually, rather than taking offense, and lifts her bare backside up to show it off. It's not huge, but is certainly quite youthful and shapely. She responds, "What are you talking about?! This is one of my assets!" She wiggles it, and the others, including Zan, try not to look, no matter how attractive it may be to him.

Kira gets shot by a Shield Drone, and yelps, "Gah! These droids!" Her Ether Blob forces its captured Missile Drones to shoot at the Shield Drone, distracting it long enough for The Beast to hit it from behind with his own missile. Yet another droid shoots her however, and she complains, "They're innumerable now!"

Lyla is scattering her Seven Star shots, and shoots down a couple of droids simultaneously, as she responds fretfully, "I know! They're everywhere! They're swarming! They're... They're..."

Kira keeps spraying bullets, and dodges an anti-air shot. She finishes for Lyla, "Like bees?! This place DOES look like a big beehive! They're coming at us like angry hornets!" She blows away a Blade Drone, only for two more to move in in its place, and she snarls.

Chez Shay has lowered her backside down to resume fighting, not really able to aim very well when her nether area is on display. She spends a moment firing rockets, when it hits her, and she exclaims, "...A Bee's NEST?! HAHAHAHA!" She resumes scattering rockets and destroys another anti-air gun as she cackles.

The Beast forms a malicious, if a bit famished, grin, and shouts, "SHOW ME THE HONEY!" Everyone else just groans at the terrible, but obvious, pun.

Within a few minutes of climbing flight and constant battling of the swarming droids, the group finally reaches a very large deck on the hull, upon which is mounted the massive cannon that had shot at them twice before. Around a hundred feet off to the sides of this deck are what are clearly aircraft runways, jutting out of the base hull, though the hangar bay doors are closed fast. The cannon deck is bristling with its own set of immediate defense turrets, which take the place of the anti-air guns. Shortly before the group reaches the deck, the anti-air fire finally stops, and the group heaves a sigh of relief at the cessation of the projectile storm. However, as soon as the group arrives at the deck, these lesser turrets aim at them, and open fire with smaller, but more quickly-fired lasers. The droids also relentlessly swarm about the group. They take a look at the cannon as they fight off the droids. Naturally, Chez Shay is the first to attack it directly, when she aims her Gunbrella at the enormous thing to pelt it with rockets, which create blasts on impact, and gets the attention of the defense turrets. Everyone else decides to follow suit, and start swooping around, shooting the cannon whenever they can. Bella launches a Cat Bullet in its direction, and the extra shots hit droids and some of the defense turrets. She swerves to the side to avoid being shot by a Missile Drone, and sees the Cat Bullet burst on impact with the cannon. Teresa tries to use Amplify Damage on the cannon, but it has no effect. She also creates a Tar Pit beneath it, but its multiple legs keep it stable. Frustrated, she just flings a few Bone Spears at it before she has to dodge the attacks of a Blade Drone, and smacks it with her scepter. Zan relentlessly fires his Pulse Rifle at the cannon, occasionally turning his aim on a nearby droid to shoot it down. Bridgette strikes the cannon continuously with Chain Lightning, which seems to damage it slightly, and arcs off to hit droids and defense turrets. Kira sprays bullets at the huge cannon, but can't tell if they are having much of an effect, so she has her Ether Blob use its captured Missile Drones to strike it with their missiles while she shoots down three Attack Drones rushing and shooting at her. Chez Shay swoops about wildly, avoiding the attacks of the droids and turrets, while launching rockets at everything, hitting some of the defense turrets, destroying some of the droids, and striking the cannon. The Beast throws his missiles at everything in the same wild and crazy manner, and somersaults to avoid being shot by a Missile Drone, which he promptly counter-attacks. Lyla tries to hit multiple targets at once with her Seven Star shots, hitting the cannon with some, the droids with others, and maybe a defense turret too, as she glides around, trying to avoid being shot. Sasha focuses on releasing her bombs at the enormous cannon, knowing that her attacks are quite effective on armored targets. Its jolts and shakes from being shot by ballistic projectiles are early indicators that they are damaging it, though there currently is no outwardly visible sign beyond a few blast marks and a lone crack.

That is when new shots join the storm around the group. Many Ki bolts and some Red Corona orbs fly at the group, and Bella is struck by one, causing her to yelp. The group turns to see what is arriving, and find themselves facing a gang of Formless Kimen. A colorful gang, consisting of four Blues, three Reds and a single, tough-looking Purple. Chez Shay grins widely at the sight of them, and turns to fire her rockets at them immediately. Zan and Bella recognize that these enemies are a platoon with the explicit purpose of stopping their assault on the cannon. With the major anti-air fire escaped from, and nothing else but the swarming droids and minor defense turrets attacking, they decide focus on taking down this group of Kimen. Everyone returns fire on the Kimen, who drift about to avoid shots, and everyone focuses on one specific target. Teresa swoops toward one of the blue enemies, swerves about to avoid its Ki bolts, and flings a Bone Spear. It drifts sideways to avoid, but gets hit by an immediate secondary shot. She ducks below a Missile Drone's missile, and counters with a Tar Blob. She then hits the Kiman with Amplify Damage. She swings around behind it, and it turns to strike her with a bolt of Ki energy, her barrier absorbing the attack. She squeaks as she thrusts her scepter to launch another Bone Spear, which pierces through the Kiman, a Shield Drone along the flight path, and the big cannon at the other end. The Formless Kiman bursts from the damage. Teresa forms a smug little smile, and boasts, "Feh. No challenge!" She turns back to attacking the cannon.

Bella knows that her Light element is ineffective against the Formless Kimen, but also knows that the only reason why she had such a hard time before was because she was inadequately armed. She flies at a red Kiman, firing a continuous stream of Light energy at it from her wrench. It takes the damage in stride, and counters by sweeping a red beam across her body. Her barrier absorbs the hit, and she reaches the enemy to hit it with several Light Slashes. It takes these hits too, and pelts her with Ki shots. She darts around to avoid some after being hit a few times, and avoids laser and droid fire at the same time. She takes out her Compression Phaser Rifle as she evades, and shoots at the Formless Kiman with the gun in burst mode. It takes greater damage from this, and returns fire with a big Red Corona orb, but she avoids its sweeping beams. She rotates her wrench to start building a charge, as she continues to strike it with blasts from her rifle. The moment her attack charge is finished, she launches a VividHue Orb. The Formless Kiman tries to avoid it, but it seeks the enemy out, and explodes brightly and prettily on the enemy. It proves too much for the Kiman to survive, and it bursts. Bella grins, putting her rifle away, and returns to attacking the cannon. Teresa takes an opening to create a Tar Pit to wreck some of the fortifications, and comments, "Bella, why didn't you use a Skill Card?" Bella puts her arms akimbo as she gives Teresa a proud look, and declares, "I wanted to prove that Light CAN triumph over Ki for once!" She shoots the cannon with a Light Blast Beam that she also sweeps over some droids and a turret, the subsequent explosions causing notable damage.

Lyla scatters her Seven Star shots over the crowd of droids and a blue Formless Kiman. It returns fire with simple Ki bolts, and she avoids these with hard evasions, while making sure she isn't hit by shots from the droids and turrets. She was pretty afraid before, but now that the anti-air fire is over, the volcanic projectiles have been escaped, and there are just droids attacking them, her fear has subsided, and she focuses on helping as much as she can. The Formless Kiman keeps drifting around, but her wide arc of shots are relatively impossible to avoid. She eventually inflicts too much damage for it to take, and the Kiman bursts. Lyla forms a sad little smile, and sweeps her shots out over the droids and the great cannon. The entire time, she chants under her breath, "I can do it... I can do it..."

Kira focuses her attention on a blue Kiman, and snarls threateningly as she darts toward it. It scatters Ki shots at her, but she easily avoids them with her extra-evasive movement. She sprays bullets at it, while her Ether Blob fires missiles at the droids surrounding her. She reaches the Kiman and sprays bullets through its head, remembering how Chez Shay defeated one once before by preventing its head from reforming for a certain length of time. It tries to fight back by striking her with bolts, but her barrier takes these hits, and the Kiman's head becomes warped, its body growing steadily more unstable. She grunts when she is also shot by a Missile Drone's missile, and her Ether Blob shoots it down. Finally, the Formless Kiman loses stability and bursts. Kira grins widely, and turns her attention back to destroying the droids while her Ether Blob focuses on the cannon. "Such pathetic opposition!" she taunts confidently.

Chez Shay swoops about, sweat rolling down along the curves of her nude body and dripping onto the deck below, as she sprays rockets at everything. She rolls through the air to avoid getting hit by the beam of a Red Corona orb from a red Formless Kiman, and turns her attention onto it, guaranteeing its doom. She swoops over toward it, cackling, and blasts it with rockets. It drifts out of the way after taking a couple of hits, and strikes her with Ki bolts, causing her to jolt and yelp as the projectiles hit her completely unarmored body, her bare breasts bouncing in reaction and casting off some sweat. Showing how tough she is, though, she takes the hits and pain in stride, and keeps firing her rockets to rack up the damage. As she is distracted though, she is shot square in the bare backside by an Attack Drone, and reacts with a distinctive yelp and a little hop. She immediately swings around and blows away the droid with a rocket, a mild blush on her face. Then she notices that the Formless Kiman seems to have an amused expression on its faceless face. She forms an absolutely terrifying, ear-to-ear grin of sharp teeth reminiscent of a dragon that has found a morsel to eat. The enemy immediately drops the expression, and dies the next moment when she pelts it with so many rockets it is engulfed in the blasts. Chez Shay shouts erratically, "Only ZAN can smack MY ass!" The others can't help but overhear this as they battle their enemies, and Zan just grimaces.

The Beast rushes one of the blue Formless Kimen, snarling and slinging missiles at it and the droids around it. It and the droids counter with their shots, but he is small and very agile, making him quite hard to hit. He dodges about, throws missiles, and destroys one of the Missile Drones attacking him. He gets right up in the face of the Formless Kiman and sticks his tongue out to flap it around. The Formless Kiman tries to blast him with Ki bolts, but he rolls around in the air to avoid it while cackling and yowling. He suddenly stops, an extremely sinister look in his eyes, which flash with light somehow. He creates four medium-sized missiles around himself, and hits the Formless Kiman with all four in tandem, destroying the enemy quickly. The Beast hoots and hollers, and resumes scattering missiles at the enemies. "RABBIT BEATS KIMAN!" he declares.

Bridgette, still tethered to Zan, focuses on attacking one of the red Formless Kimen, and swings her scythe to launch a Chain Lightning bolt. The Kiman avoids the initial shot, which hits a droid behind it, and ends up being hit on one of the rebound arcs instead, causing it to jolt in surprise. She raises her scythe with a snarl, and swings it down hard to bring down a series of Plasma strikes on and around the red Kiman and the droids around it, the blasts from the strikes destroying several droids. The Kiman quickly retaliates by sweeping a searing beam at her, and she is struck, though her barrier absorbs it. She still wobbles unsteadily on her GravBoard, perpetually unable to maintain her balance. She darts at the Kiman in reaction, gritting her teeth fiercely, and swings her scythe hard, slashing the enemy. It counters with Ki bolts point blank, and a Blade Drone gets behind her to slash her barrier. It also tries to cut her tether, but finds that its blade harmlessly passes through the tether, so it ignores it. She keeps swinging the Volt-enhanced scythe, and the Kiman tries to drive her off with a Red Corona orb, but she ducks the attack, nearly falls off her board when it sweeps a beam across her back, and she blasts the Kiman with her own orb of Voltage. The blast sends the Kiman flying, and it dissolves from too much damage. Bridgette sees Zan battling the purple Kiman, and moves to support him.

Zan, meanwhile, takes on the leader of this Formless Kiman platoon, the purple one. He scans it as he shoots at it with his Pulse Rifle, which seems to have little effect. Unlike the one he saw before during the trip to this base, this Formless Kiman is not the result of a fusion of injured Kimen, and as such is far more powerful. It counters his shots by thrusting its arms at him to fire two powerful Ki beams at once. He swoops upward to avoid as the beams cross each other where he was just at. He quickly realizes he can't beat this thing with his Pulse Rifle, and so puts it away. He charges toward the enemy, and builds Plasma energy over his head. The purple Kiman mimics him, forming a thick cluster of Ki energy over its head. Zan smirks, and feints firing the attack he was forming, successfully tricking the Kiman into firing his storm of Ki bolts. To the surprise of both of them, Sasha darts between them and forms her projectile-slowing field, holding the storm back. Zan quickly flies into her field, and fires his volley of Plasma Orbs, which strike and damage the Formless Kiman. He pulls back, and thrusts his fist forward to fire a steady, highly-erratic current of Plasma energy that makes contact with the purple Kiman and damages it steadily. It tries to attack him with flying sweeps of Ki energy launched by throwing kicks, but Sasha's barrier holds these attacks back as well. Bridgette joins Zan inside the field, and gives him an excited look. He smiles at her as he keeps the Plasma current going, and Bridgette adds to it by swinging her scythe to launch Plasma Sweeps. The purple Kiman finally decides to move out of the way of the attacks, and Zan and Bridgette leave Sasha's field. She ends it the next moment, and all the shots the Kiman launched rush by to inadvertently strike and destroy droids and two of the defense turrets. Zan and Bridgette take each other's hands again, and he forms a blade of Plasma. They rush at the Kiman, avoiding droid and turret shots, but their rush is still interrupted when the Kiman surprises them with an uppercut that creates a rising blast of Ki energy, knocking them back and sending Bridgette flying off her GravBoard. She swings around on the tether, and gets an idea. She grabs the tether with one hand and starts swinging around on it. She swings at the Kiman and slashes its legs with her scythe. Zan notices this, and grabs the tether himself. He yanks Bridgette back toward him, and she gives him a cute look when she runs against his chest. He returns it with a gentle smile, then lashes her back out at the Kiman, and she shrieks in fury as she raises her scythe. The Kiman is caught by surprise with this technique, and is slashed across the chest by her scythe. Zan yanks her back toward him, and throws the sword of Plasma he created, which strikes the Kiman and makes it even more unstable. Bridgette collides with Zan, and promptly hops back on her GravBoard, though she nearly falls right off again immediately after, flailing her arms for a second to struggle with her balance. The purple Formless Kiman busts out a desperate attack, knowing it is losing, and points its arms and legs at the pair. It suddenly gets hit by one of Sasha's bombs, and the huge Ki beam it fires the next instant from its four limbs swings off mark, flying over the duo's head. They move in immediately, and Zan throws a Plasma-empowered flying kick, while Bridgette swings her scythe with as much strength as she can muster to hit the enemy with a big Plasma Sweep. The purple Formless Kiman staggers and trembles from the hits, shudders and curls up, then bursts in a big Ki energy blast that throws both of them off of their GravBoards and onto the deck, where they roll and tumble for a short distance. When they finally come to a stop, they are promptly shot at by Attack Drones and defense turrets. They quickly climb to their feet, jump out of the way of shots, and Zan draws in their GravBoards. Bridgette deflects some shots with her scythe, but when she sees Zan ready her GravBoard for her, she says, "Zan... I'm gonna stay on my feet. I'm sick of sky surfing." She casts a Chain Lightning bolt at the droids.

Zan looks at her, then at the GravBoard, then nods. He acknowledges, "That's fine then. Be careful, Bridgette." He hands her the flight gear, and she puts it away in her pocket dimension.

He deactivates the tether between them, and Bridgette gives him a confident look. He hops on his GravBoard, takes out both his Pulse Rifle and the Arc-Welder he hasn't used in forever, and flies toward the cannon while shooting at everything with both weapons. Bridgette runs toward the cannon, scythe at the ready. With all of the Formless Kimen defeated, the group resumes assaulting the cannon while dodging the myriad of shots from the droids and turrets.

The cannon begins to show signs of damage as the group pummels it with attacks. As they assault it, they realize they need to step up the strength of their attacks if they want to be able to destroy it any time soon. Bella, dodging turret fire, flies over the cannon, repeatedly sweeping her Light Blast Beams, their subsequent explosions of Light causing visible damage, and the cannon shudders from the hits. Teresa looks for vulnerable connection points or glowing objects on the cannon, and shoots any she sees with her Bone Spears. Sparks fly out from these points that get hit. Kira takes this idea and runs with it, barraging similar important-looking points with her bullets, causing sparks to cast out wildly, and she smirks. Her Ether Blob fires missiles at the cannon in general. Zan shoots it steadily with his Pulse Rifle and Arc-Welder, and swerves about to avoid the shots of an aggressive Missile Drone. He shoots the droid with the Arc-Welder to destroy it, while simultaneously attacking the cannon with his Pulse Rifle. He seems to be waiting for an opportunity of some sort however, as he doesn't step up his attack efforts yet. Bridgette, on foot, fires her Chain Lighting at the cannon as she runs, until she gets closer to it. Some of the defense turrets shoot at her, and she jumps forward to avoid the shots. Getting between the cannon and the turrets, she raises her arms high, holding the scythe horizontal with both hands, then swings it down hard with enough force to make her skirt fly up and flash her backside once again, casting forth a Nova. The ring rocks the cannon and destroys three of the turrets. She promptly gets shot by a droid, and flings Chain Lightning at it. Chez Shay doesn't change her style, flying about erratically, scattering rockets and laughing. She is getting more and more excited however, as sweat trickles down her bare, glistening body, and the blush on her face she got when her rear end was shot seems to be strengthening rather than subsiding. She ignores shots her body takes, though she does evade any missiles that fly her way. The Beast accompanies her during this assault, yowling and hollering, scattering missiles at the droids and throwing many at the cannon. Their explosive projectiles rock the huge weapon, and cracks are forming in its plating. Sasha, too, assaults the cannon with her bombs, though she also releases some at the droids and turrets, many of the minor enemies being destroyed in one hit. Lyla's Seven Star shots prove very helpful in damaging and destroying the droids attacking them, though like Kira, the singular shots seem weak against the armored cannon.

Suddenly, a solid laser from a different source flies out and strikes Lyla, breaking her Seven Star Card, making her shriek, and nearly destroying her flying carpet. The group immediately looks, and find themselves being rushed by a new type of droid. They cry out as they quickly come under attack by these droids, who are armed with four probes, each equipped with a different weapon. Bella ducks to avoid being shot in the head by another powerful laser beam fired by one of the droids' probes. She returns fire with orbs of Light. She tries to keep attacking the cannon as well, and launches a Cat Bullet at it. Teresa shrieks when she is barraged by bullets fired by one of the droids' probes. She launches a Bone Spear at it to stop it, then swoops away, being chased by the droids, while throwing Bone Spears at the cannon. Zan promptly sets about scanning the droids, and uses his Pulse Rifle to block when one of the droids brings down at him a double-edged sword, one edge of metal, the other of energy, attached to one of its probes. When he returns fire with the Arc-Welder, it shifts to a different probe, armed with an energy shield, to block the attacks. Zan performs a flip-kick to knock the droid back despite it's shield. Bella is also rushed by one of these new droids, and it swings its sword at her energy-edge first. She clashes with its attacks using Light Slashes, and strikes it with others, some of which it skillfully blocks with its shield. She shouts amidst the fight, "Zan, gonna tell us what THESE are?!"

Zan keeps shooting at the droids, moving erratically to avoid their own shots, and responds, "They're referred to as 'Option Drones'. They're the elite base-defense droids for this facility, and come with a laser, machine gun, dual-type sword and energy shield! Very versatile! Never seen anything like them before, and that's saying something!"

Bridgette has been beset upon by the Option Drones as well, and is slashing with her scythe at those attacking her in melee with their swords. She growls, "No kidding! ERGH!" She is struck by a missile from an opportunistic Missile Drone.

She swings her scythe about, striking the droids, and damaging them. One of them strikes her from behind with the energy side of its sword, but her barrier holds it back. A Blade Drone dives in for an attack, but Bridgette releases another Nova, scattering away most of the droids near her and damaging the cannon again. Chez Shay boldly rushes the Option Drones coming her way, spraying rockets at them, grinning like a maniac and excited at the prospect of an even more dangerous enemy attacking her. The droids respond by shooting at her with their machine guns, and the moment one bullet grazes her face, her pupils shrink as she suffers some pain. She responds with a laugh and fires a stream of rockets at the droids, which cannot maintain against the assault, and those that fail to guard with their shields are destroyed. And even then, her rockets overpower a couple of the Option Drones' energy shields, breaking them and then the droids behind them, revealing that their shields are not as tough as those of the defense-oriented Shield Drones. Chez Shay turns her Gunbrella on the cannon and other targets again, flying around and laughing. Kira is having no more difficult a time with these than she did with everything else. She sprays her bullets at them, damaging some, while others block her shots or return fire with their own bullets. Her Ether Blob uses the missiles from its captured Missile Drones to inflict extra damage, and it strikes the cannon further as well. Sasha releases bombs at the Option Drones the same as at everything else, and flies around, easily avoiding enemy shots due to her tiny size, while still damaging the cannon. The Beast flies TOWARD the Option Drones coming his way, snarling viciously, and throws out a salvo of missiles. The droids destroy some with their bullets and lasers, and block some with their shields. The Beast flies upward to get above them as they respond to his initial attack, and rains more missiles directly down on them, finishing with a big missile that destroys the cluster of Option Drones, along with two Attack Drones that were moving with them. "RABBIT BEATS DROID!" he declares.

"AAAAHHHH! HELP ME!" Lyla shrieks in great distress. The Option Drones surrounding her are slashing at her with their swords. She gets struck on the arms as she tries to defend herself, and one cuts across her back, snapping, once again, both of her top's straps, causing her breasts to bounce into the open. She squeals in pain, alarming the others. Zan, Kira and Bella immediately move in and attack the droids and rescue Lyla. Zan grabs her by the hand and pulls her out from amidst the attackers, as Bella sweeps Light Blast Beams and Kira sprays bullets at them. They back off, and Bella checks on Lyla while Kira continues to attack them, her Ether Blob simultaneously sending Missile Drone missiles at the cannon. Bella rests a hand on Lyla's shoulder, and sadly says, "Lyla..."

She quickly and shiveringly uses a Health Potion to close her wounds, and whimpers tearfully, "That hurt... Those things are vicious..." She shortly notices her once again broken top, and looks at Zan with a blush. She adds more bashfully than sadly, "...And my breasts are exposed again."

As Zan sets about repairing her top, Bella takes note of the fact that both Lyla and Chez Shay are under severe danger now that these powerful droids have come out to attack the group. She watches as Chez Shay swoops about, scattering rockets, and sees her yelp when she her thigh is struck by a laser from one of the remaining turrets. Bella frowns, and raises a hand to direct attention as she shouts, "Chez Shay! Come here!"

Chez Shay gives Bella a wild-eyed look, and flies toward her, firing rockets at the droids around them as she goes. As she approaches, she, Zan, Lyla, and the others, notice as Bella takes out a bunch of Skill Cards. Once Chez Shay reaches her, she prattles, "What what what?! I'm BUSY! And sooo hot..." She takes a second to wipe more sweat off her forehead and bare breasts.

They notice the now strong blush on her face, and she gives Zan a very amorous look when she actually notices him. He returns it with a wary one. Bella, meanwhile, splits the deck of cards into two decks, and explains as she does, "We're handling this situation fine with our Contour Barriers, but you two are in too much danger now, with these elite droids attacking us. I know it's a little late, but I want you to use these from now on to protect yourselves. Try to keep them going as long as possible and don't be afraid to use all of them."

She hands over all of her Roll Cards to Chez Shay and Lyla. Zan immediately smiles very proudly, and the others, amidst their battles against the droids and the assault on the cannon, find themselves quite impressed with this considerate act. Chez Shay pretends to toss them over her shoulder while scoffing, then darts off to attack the cannon and droids again. They see a Roll Card's barrier form around her as she goes though. Lyla, on the other hand, practically wants to hug Bella. Her top repaired and breasts secured, she immediately activates a barrier-creating Roll Card. She exclaims, "Thank you, Bella! Thank you too, Zan, Kira..." She gives the latter two a bashful look.

Kira, spraying bullets at the droids, just remarks, "Huh. Guess I need to reevaluate my opinion of you, Bella."

Bella just lets out a soft huff of amusement, then turns her attention toward the cannon, and proclaims, "Now, let's finish this! That thing's falling apart! Let's turn it into scrap!"

She, Zan, Kira and Lyla head back toward the cannon, firing their attacks at it, and the myriad droids all around it. The cannon is greatly damaged by this point, just barely holding up under the assault. Sparks fly from its form, and smoke is rising from gaps all over its plating.

The droids continue their efforts to stop Bella's group. Attack Drones swarm about, firing shots frantically. Missile Drones line up and launch salvos of missiles. Shield Drones form walls and other defensive positions to protect areas of the cannon or the droids. Blade Drones rush at members of the group to slash at them. Option Drones fire heavy laser shots or barrages of bullets, or rush at members of the group to slash with their swords, while shifting in their shield option to block some of the attacks. The remaining defense turrets fire continuously at the group. The cannon is showing signs that it is nearly destroyed. Bella swoops about, launching beams of Light. Teresa flings Bone Spears that pierce defenses. Zan endlessly fires his Pulse Rifle and Arc-Welder at everything. Bridgette runs about on the deck slashing droids, attacking the turrets, and launching bolts of Lightning or Plasma. Kira sprays bullets from her FN-P90 at everything, while her Ether Blob fires missiles from its captured Missile Drones. Chez Shay flies around wildly, launching rockets. The Beast flies with her, flinging missiles. Sasha releases bombs at the droids and the cannon, being, ironically, the one doing possibly the highest amount of damage with a single hit out of them all. Lyla once again begins to cope with feelings of inadequacy. She sprays her wood bolts from her Tambourines, which do very well at damaging the droids, but are quite ineffective against the cannon, unless she gets a critical hit on occasion. As she swoops about, an Option Drone rises up in front of her suddenly, causing her to yelp, and it blasts her with a laser. She is knocked back, and her Roll Card is broken. She quickly activates another and sprays shots at the droid to damage it and drive it back.

Sasha darts about, releasing bombs at the droids and the cannon, the popping blasts wreaking havoc. The Beast suddenly rises up in front of Sasha, and she yelps. He gives her a grin, and grabs her. She squeals, "Wha-what are you doing?!"

The Beast excitedly shouts, "ATTACK ATTACK ATTACK!" When she just squeals in fright, he grimaces.

He starts shaking her until she releases a bomb, confused by what he is doing. To her surprise, he flings a missile that, when it hits her projectile, merges with the bomb and becomes a rocket-propelled one. When it hits the cannon, it creates a blast twice as strong. The Beast continues to "wield" Sasha, who becomes excited, and they fire rocket-propelled bombs all around at the enemies and the cannon. An Option Drone rushes at them, and they fire upon it. It attempts to block, but the double-strength power of the modified projectile overloads its shield, and a second one destroys the droid outright. They fire more of these enhanced projectiles to induce more damage, until The Beast gets bored of it. He releases Sasha, gives her a smug sneer, and flies off to attack more droids and the cannon. She blinks, watching him go, and mutters, "...What just happened?"

Teresa flings Bone Spears, but finds that they are just not very useful against the cannon, even if they hit a vulnerable spot. Death energy is poor against Machines, she knows, and watches as Chez Shay swoops past, spraying rockets everywhere. Teresa is at first a little put off by Chez Shay's nudity, but then flinches when an unrelated idea hits her, and she gets a very sinister little look. She produces another Tar Pit on the deck beneath the cannon, then waves her scepter to catch attention and calls out, "Chez Shay! Hey! Chez Shay! Throw a grenade into that Tar Pit!" She points at it excitedly.

Chez Shay looks at Teresa, and recognizes the idea, a psychotic grin spreading across her face. She responds, "You have a DEVIOUS little mind, pigtails! You need your OWN grenades!" She activates and chucks a hand grenade into the Tar Pit, her aggressive toss bouncing her bare breasts in the process.

Teresa narrows an eye when she hears this. Zan heard, too, and observes with interest as she holds a hand to her chin in sinister thought. She muses quietly, "Yes... Yes I do."

Bridgette promptly runs from the cannon as the Tar Pit goes up in a massive blast the next moment, severely damaging the cannon, but it remains solid for the moment. Teresa still finds herself satisfied with it. But flinches when she hears Chez Shay shriek. Four Option Drones have gathered together, and they focus their laser cannons together into a single shot, which blasts Chez Shay with a mighty strike. It breaks her Roll Card and sends her flying away from the cannon deck. The opportunistic anti-air guns immediately open fire on her again, and she retaliates in a fit of rage. Spraying rockets all over the hull of the base, she damages the hull, strikes and destroys several guns, blows away some droids that go after her, half breaks the door to one of the hangars off to the side, further damages the main cannon, and demolishes one of the defense turrets. She stops after the frenzied counter attack, panting, sweat rolling down her nude body, the blush on her face still quite strong. She quickly activates another Roll Card and shoots at the anti-air guns still firing upon her. She then notices the damaged hangar door, and fires several rockets at it, blasting it apart and creating an opening into the base. She grins, and rushes back to the group to resume the attack on the cannon.

However, mere moments after the hangar has been opened, two squads of Kyo clones rush out onto the runway and see the fight going on at the heavy cannon. Half of the Kyo clones are equipped with jump-packs, while the others just jump. The crowd of men rush toward the fight, moving along the outer hull of the base, and Bella's group sees them coming. The Kyo clones attack the group amidst the battle with the droids, increasing the chaos of the fight exponentially. A jump-pack Kyo clone launches himself up at Bella and throws a flying, flaming kick to her back. She jolts, yelps, and Light Slashes him, knocking him back. A Kyo clone jumps onto Lyla's flying carpet, and she shrieks. He tries to punch her, but gets barraged point blank by her wood bolts, and is forced to shield himself, then gets thrown off of her carpet when he is popped by a bomb from Sasha. Three Kyo clones charge at Bridgette, but stop when she brandishes her scythe with a snarl. She swings the scythe horizontally, and two jump back while one jumps over and punches Bridgette in the head. Her barrier blocks it, and she electrocutes him with a Lightning bolt, throwing him back. A Kyo clone prepares to leap at Teresa, but the moment he recognizes her, his determination shifts into terror, and he runs away instead. Teresa grins evilly, very pleased that even here the Kyo clones know not to mess with her. She instead gives chase, waving her tar-oozing scepter menacingly. A jump-pack Kyo clone leaps at Zan, and roundhouse kicks him. Zan staggers, then roundhouse kicks the Kyo clone right back, sending him flying off. Another Kyo clone leaps up at Chez Shay, but his eyes go wide when he sees that she is nude, and she grins, then sends him flying with a rocket. She swoops at the other Kyo clones, and they promptly become very distracted by her glistening nudity. She, The Beast and Sasha take advantage of this to pelt those who get distracted with missiles and bombs, sending them flying all around. The Kyo clones thus struggle to control themselves and try to attack everyone still. One of them, with a jump-pack, launches itself at The Beast, and flings a punch at his face. He yelps the next second when he finds The Beast's teeth clamped onto his fist. He yells in pain and fright as he tries to shake The Beast off, then freezes when The Beast raises his arms to create a missile over his head. The Beast releases his fist, and hits him with the missile, sending him flying away. "RABBIT BEATS EVERYTHING! HAW!" The Beast declares, breaking into mad cackling.

For some reason, Kira is left to the droids, and they swarm about, shooting at her. Having had enough with being unable to inflict decent damage on the cannon, she has her Ether Blob throw the two Missile Drones it is carrying at the cannon. Their blasts rock the severely damaged weapon. Seeing this, Kira grins, and starts flying around, using her Ether Blob to snatch drones out of the air, no matter what type, and fling them at the cannon. Most of them explode on impact, and inflict further significant damage. The ridiculous degree of durability the cannon has is proven here, however, when it holds up even after all of this.

The Kyo clones leap at and attack everyone, but for Kira and Teresa. Bridgette becomes surrounded, being the only one on foot. She growls as they move in to attack her, when she surprises them by casting forth another Nova. The one Kyo clone directly behind her gets an eye-full of her flashed backside when her skirt flies up, distracting him enough to prevent him from dodging the blast, as some of the others do, leaping over it. Zan swoops in, both weapons put away for the moment, with a Kyo clone clinging to him and Fire punching him repeatedly. Zan grabs Bridgette by the hand, lifting her up to him. She kicks the Kyo clone off of him, and looks at Zan. She gives him a curious look as he carries her higher into the air, while giving her a determined look. He firmly says, "It's time. Feeling charged enough?"

Bridgette then realizes what he means by this, and big grin forms on her face. She replies, "Oh yeah. I was hoping we could show this off."

She puts her scythe away and clings rather lovingly to Zan as he flies upward to get between the back of the cannon and the remaining turrets. Many droids and Kyo clones try to pursue them. They stop, however, when Zan and Bridgette suddenly surge with Plasma energy. With yells, they thrust their hands toward the cannon. The air becomes filled with Plasma energy, and five massive bolts surge across the deck, damaging everything. Bella's eyes immediately widen, a big smile forming, and she cheers, "HO-HOHOHO! It's Photon Spark!"

Teresa starts waving her hand and scepter about excitedly as she joyfully cries, "Go, master! Go, Bridgette!"

Kira grins widely. Chez Shay, The Beast, Lyla and Sasha stop to watch in amazement. Suddenly a huge orb of Plasma forms in the air over the cannon, and starts spewing Plasma all around, striking the cannon, the droids, the Kyo clones, the turrets, and the base itself. The deck itself takes damage from this. It worsens when the orb suddenly bursts into a column of violent Plasma energy that churns and roars, striking the cannon rapidly for several seconds. The column eventually subsides, and a huge bolt of Plasma strikes down from the air to blast the cannon for a big final hit. Smoke pours from the giant weapon, and sparks spew from all points. Yet it still stands. The Kyo clones were thrown for a loop, and over half of the droids were destroyed. Chez Shay stares wide-eyed, and her blush actually intensifies a bit at the display of power. She finds herself to be completely enraptured, feeling very hot in a different sort of way. But when an Option Drone shoots her with its laser, breaking her Roll Card, she comes back to her senses, snarls, and shoots the droid with rockets. The fight resumes, despite the incredible amount of damage inflicted upon the cannon. It is teetering now, and clearly ready to be destroyed. Zan reactivates Bridgette's energy tether, and she reluctantly sets her feet on her GravBoard. The Kyo clones who recovered quicker come after the group once again, and more droids arrive at the fight from the release hatches.

Bella is becoming frustrated by all of this. She wants the cannon destroyed, and can tell they almost have it, but the enemies keep coming and keep getting more numerous. She bravely flies in front of the cannon, its severely damaged barrel no longer a danger to shooting her suddenly. She rotates her wrench to aim the grappler end at the cannon, and starts building a charge. Lyla sees this, and flies up to her. She throws Bella a Roll Card, which she catches and activates. Lyla sprays shots at the droids around them to keep them away from Bella. Everyone else sees that Bella appears to be aiming for a finishing attack, and quickly move to cluster around her. Sasha activates her projectile-slowing field from the center of the cluster, stopping the shots from the droids and turrets. The Kyo clones keep coming though, so Zan, Bridgette and Kira hold them off with shots and melee counter-attacks. Chez Shay, having activated another Roll Card, distracts some of the other Kyo clones with her sweat-drenched, nude body, then strikes them with rockets along with The Beast's missiles to send them flying. Bella finishes her charge, and fires a huge VividHue Orb into the barrel of the cannon. The Kyo clones break into fearful hollering. The orb explodes, the cannon jolts very hard, and begins to explode in a series of blasts that get steadily more and more powerful and violent. The blasts intensify and worsen, and Chez Shay exclaims delightfully, "She's gonna blooow!" "TERRIBLE, TERRIBLE DAMAGE!" The Beast comments excitedly.

The group backs away from the base as quickly as possible. The droids scatter, the Kyo clones flee, some of them moving in the same direction as Bella's group with their jump-packs working more like jet-packs. The fighting stops that moment, when the cannon goes up in a magnificent, base-shuddering explosion that sends a pair of shockwaves rolling through that rock the air and the floating boulders. It leaves a huge blast mark on the evidently heavily-armored hull of the base, though the runways to the sides of the cannon's deck get largely demolished, as do all nearby guns. Parts of the cannon and its deck fly by the group, others puncture into the base, and some of the anti-air guns get crushed by flying debris. A Kyo clone gets clocked in the head by a rather large metal bolt, and winces, rubbing where he got hit. The girls break into overjoyed cheers. Bella and Teresa give each other double high-fives and laugh, looking at the remains of the cannon deck. Kira belts out a powerful little laugh. Lyla and Sasha cheer. The Beast is laughing like a maniac, arms raised, eyes wide. Bridgette laughs too, while Zan firmly smiles in approval. They both flinch when Chez Shay glomps Zan, throwing her entire, nude body into a legs and arms wrapped cling on him, and kisses him almost viciously on the mouth. He stares at her, then looks at Bridgette, who just gives him a little grin. He closes his eyes and accepts the extremely aggressive kiss of celebration, but places his hands on her back. The others don't notice this, with their attention directed at the spectacle that is the destruction of the cannon.

The Kyo clones on the platforms and in the air, on the other hand, stare at each other in horror, shame and distress. Some of them facepalm, while others glare at Bella's group in frustrated anger, shaking their fists. They flinch the next moment when Bella turns to face them with a fearsome little grin. She immediately flies at the Kyo clones near the group and throws Light Slashes at them, striking a couple and making them jolt.

Chez Shay ends the kiss, a string of saliva hanging between their mouths for a moment. With a blush burning almost as intensely as the lava below them, she gives Zan what is clearly a look of strong sexual desire, but she also sees Bella attacking the enemies. Torn between two primal desires, she makes her decision. She promptly bites Zan's cheek, causing him and Bridgette to flinch. He yelps, "Ow! ...What are you, a Klingon?!"

Nevertheless, Chez Shay gives him another blush-faced, lustful look that could be registered as "I'll save you for later". Bridgette is glowering at Chez Shay now, while a few of Zan's Cybranites appear, quickly and easily fixing the bite mark on his cheek. He gives Chez Shay a distressed look, then jolts when she jumps back on her vacuum cleaner. She keeps her gaze fixed on him for a moment, then turns, and sticks her backside toward him, looking back at him from over her shoulder seductively. Finally, she faces the enemies directly, lets out a warcry while thrusting her Gunbrella forward hard enough to jolt her breasts, and she charges toward them, firing rockets. They yelp, some of them being blasted and launched by the rockets, and all but one of them flee from Bella and Chez Shay back toward the base. The remaining one throws a flying kick, striking Bella, but she counters by thrusting herself upward with one hand, and swinging her wrench midair to smash its heavy grappler end into his head, promptly landing back on the wrench afterward in a maneuver resembling a breakdance trick. The others stare in amazement at this display, and charge toward the Kyo clone. He cries out, dizzied by the head-blow, and sees the others moving toward him now too. He quickly turns to flee. Bella and Chez Shay speed after the Kyo clones, who clamor in alarm as they charge into the base through the ruined hangar bay door, which cannot be closed. The group sees this entryway, and heads straight for it. It is their access to the base itself, and, they hope, the final battle.

As they fly, Bella breaks into another rousing speech, "It's time, ladies and gentleman!" Once again, The Beast grumbles at being excluded. "It's time to defeat NESTS once and for all. Hold back NOTHING! Let's show them what happens when they threaten the Multiverse!"

Zan thrusts a fist into the air, creating a burst of Plasma, shouting, "Excellent!"

Chez Shay thrusts her Gunbrella into the air, her bare breasts bouncing again, growling, "Time to die!"

The Beast's eyes glint ominously as he punches a paw into the palm of the other, snarling, "TO THE PAIN!"

Bridgette lets out a shrill kiai, and twirls her scythe, scattering sparks of Voltage, embers of Fire, and particles of Plasma.

Teresa puts a fist akimbo while raising her scepter high, haughtily laughing, "OH-HOHOHO!"

Kira grins big with her beautiful white teeth, while punching a fist into a palm, which the Ether Blob emulates, declaring, "I'm gonna beat their asses so hard they won't be able to sit for a week!"

Lyla cheers, holding her Tambourines high and shaking them to produce their actual rattling noise the instrument normally makes. She looks at Sasha, and says excitedly, "Are you ready, Sasha?" "I am! Are you?" Sasha replies, just as excited.

Lyla nods with a joyful grunt, and replies, "Yes! Let's help our friends!" Sasha looks forward as they fly, and exclaims, "Let's gooo!"

They swoop in to the base through the hangar bay doorway.

~CONTINUED~


	4. PT4

~-AEST-Trouble Witches: Nest of Disruption~  
~Waypoint 22: Demolition Ladies~

Before anything else, the first thing everyone observes is the sheer size of the hangar. Spread before them is a vast chamber strongly resembling an interior parking lot, with numerous, identical, but unusual aircraft parked diagonally, their noses pointed toward the center of the hangar's entrance. Bella immediately takes note of the aircraft and their unique designs. But her attention is shortly redirected when she is struck by a Missile Drone's missile. The group barely has time to bring their feet to the floor of the hangar by its entrance before they find themselves facing a wall of enemies. They can also hear an alarm going off within the base interior. Amidst the crowd of Kyo clones waiting for them, one thrusts a flaming fist their direction as he exclaims in a loud voice, "They've finally come! Don't let them in! Throw them back out into the lava!" The others break into angry yells.

Chez Shay stays on her vacuum cleaner for the moment, and smirks at their rallying to fight. She moves a little closer, catching their attention, and thrusts the side of her backside toward them, as she coos seductively, "Aww, are you sure you want to do that?"

Numerous Kyo clones immediately form blushes and become stunned. The droids, however, are unaffected, and every single one of them opens fire. A wall of Shield Drones forms in front of the group, the Attack Drones start building charges, the Missile Drones launch their ballistics, the Option Drones shoot and rush at them, and the Blade Drones charge forward. Many Kyo clones also rush forward to attack the group with them. And the group responds in kind.

Bella lands, and takes hold of her wrench like a staff, now holding the grappler end upright. Three Kyo clones fly in at her. One lands a kick to her gut, the other to her shoulder, both staggering her back a bit, but she blocks the third with her wrench, then swings it with great force and a hard grunt, smacking all three Kyo clones and staggering them. A Blade Drone moves in behind her and slashes her, making her yelp, while an Attack Drone fires a charged shot. She ducks hard, and the shot hits the Blade Drone instead, sending it flying and bouncing away. One of the Kyo clones throws a roundhouse kick, hitting her in the side of the head, and her cat-hat squeals in fright as she jolts. She thrusts her wrench to grab him by the torso, lifts him up with the aid of the wrench's anti-gravity function, and sends him flying with a blast of Light. The two Kyo clones immediately in front of her pull back to build Fire power, when Chez Shay descends beside Bella, and shows off her sweat-drenched nude body, sitting on her vacuum cleaner sideways, legs and arms apart. The Kyo clones' eyes practically bug out, and Bella forms a snagglefang grin as she swings the wrench out and to the right, sweeping a Light Blast Beam that strikes several more Kyo clones and droids, the follow-up blasts sending them flying and destroying some of the droids. Chez Shay grins widely, and darts off, spraying rockets at everything in sight, looking for more Kyo clones to distract. Bella continues to fight, and deflects a missile with her wrench, then launches a Cat Bullet to start hitting many enemies.

Teresa also lands, and widens her eyes in surprise when three Kyo clones come at her almost immediately. She swings her scepter to cast out tar, and the Kyo clones promptly freak out, now showing the reaction she was expecting. She grins rather evilly, but squeals when she gets shot in the side by a laser from an Option Drone. Jolting in reaction, she flings a Bone Spear at the droid to damage it. One Kyo clone cautiously lunges in and grabs her. She squeals again when he lifts her up and creates a Fire blast. It throws her back and onto her seat, but her barrier absorbed the actual damage. She scowls and thrusts her scepter to create a Tar Pit. The Kyo clones cry out as they fall in. They yelp in fright when three Uroktors appear in the tar and start attacking them, biting onto their arms and shoulders. Teresa climbs to her feet, delighted to the utmost to see her beloved minions helping her once again. She watches in curiosity when one of them hauls itself out of the Tar Pit and quickly shambles right up to her with wide eyes. To her surprise and pleasure, the Uroktor uses its beak to nuzzle her face affectionately, and she responds with giggles, petting the creature. It is clear that her Uroktors had missed her too. She then POINTS at the enemies, and the Uroktor emits an excited, birdlike cry, before backflipping into a Tar Hole to move out to attack. Several more Uroktors also appear at random in the hangar, leaping out of Tar Holes and surprising the Kyo clones and droids with ambushes. Teresa sets about flinging Bone Spears at the walls of Shield Drones that have set up to obstruct the group in their battle, and her Uroktors intercept anyone who attempts to get at Teresa herself.

Zan and Bridgette land, and are immediately blasted by a bunch of missiles. Relying on their Contour Barriers to absorb the damage, Zan takes a moment to deactivate the tether connecting them, and gives Bridgette an affirmative nod, to which she responds with one of her own. He reclaims their harnesses, and puts away his Pulse Rifle and Arc-Welder, just in time for three Kyo clones and blade-wielding Option Drones to rush in at him. With cybernetically-augmented reaction time, he grabs a Kyo clone by the punching arm, and swings him over himself and down onto an Option Drone, bringing them both to the floor, which he quickly follows up with a big a Plasma Orb brought straight down on them for a powerful blast. He gets struck in the side by another Option Drone, and responds to it with a Plasma-empowered roundhouse kick to strike the droid and throw it into the path of a flame blast launched by a Kyo clone, resulting in the destruction of the droid. He thrusts a hand to send the attacker flying by the blast of a Plasma Orb. A Kyo clone gets him in a headlock from behind, but he hoists himself up, causing the Kyo clone to stagger and yelp from the sudden weight shift. He thrusts his entire self forward to fling the Kyo clone into three more and a bunch of droids moving toward him, then swipes his flattened hand out to create a wide Plasma Sweep to strike many of those enemies toppled before him, destroying several droids and launching most of the rest. Two more Kyo clones rush at him, but Chez Shay descends between them, facing Zan. Her bare backside is raised high in the air, legs kept apart, as she lays forward on her vacuum cleaner. She gives Zan a slow wink, and he stares at her for a second, then looks beyond her to see the Kyo clones skid to a stop, and form intense blushes. He looks back at Chez Shay with an amused little smile and a slow shake of his head, and she pokes her tongue out the side of her mouth. He proceeds to build Plasma energy, and the moment Chez Shay rises upward into the air, he launches four large orbs to blast the thoroughly distracted Kyo clones and send them flying. As all of this goes on, however, Zan's cybernetic eye is showing the Diagnostic Icon.

The moment Bridgette is freed from the security tether to Zan, she actually rushes toward the Kyo clones, scythe raised menacingly, a fierce look in her eyes. Several of them lunge at her, but she swings her scythe before they can reach her and strikes them with a Plasma Sweep, throwing them back. She is shot from behind by a Missile Drone, jolts, swings around, and throws a Chain Lightning bolt at it, which arcs off to zap two more droids and two Kyo clones. A Kyo clone casts a Dark Thrust attack, but she jumps over it and swings her scythe down, generating a series of Plasma Bolts that strike the crowd in front of her. The assault creates a spectacular series of blasts that damage many droids, destroy multiple others, and launch and knock out some Kyo clones. The moment she lands, she is barraged by bullets from an Option Drone, her Contour Barrier absorbing the hits. She shudders from the barrage, and thrusts her free hand at the attacker to launch a Fireball, which it quickly blocks with its shield. It fails to anticipate Bridgette flying in to stab her scythe down into the droid from above. With the droid skewered on the blade of her scythe, she flings it at a Missile Drone immediately afterward, wrecking them both. A number of additional droids and Kyo clones come rushing in, the droids striking her with yet more projectiles. A Kyo clone jumps into a flying kick, but she parries it and sprains the Kyo clone's leg with a twist of her scythe, causing him to yelp in pain and hit the floor. Bridgette snarls at him, and he yelps a second time in shock like a person who was snarled at by a raging beast. She raises her scythe high, crackling with Voltage, and he screams in fear, expecting her to decapitate him or something. Bridgette brings the weapon down forcefully, to the ground, with enough force to make her skirt fly up and flash her backside yet again, as she creates a Nova that sends every enemy around her flying. The wave also damages some of the aircraft parked nearby.

Kira lands, and quickly puts her FN-P90 away. She grins confidently as the Kyo clones and droids move in to attack her. Her Ether Blob forms beside her, and she hops into it to float upright at its top. The Kyo clones flinch, and some of them yelp when she lunges forward, Ether Blob reaching for them with big muscular arms. She grabs three of them simultaneously and bunches them together, then slams them to the ground and hoists them back over herself to toss them away. She gets shot by a Missile Drone, but when a second missile comes in, she has her Ether Blob smack the projectile in mid-air to deflect it at another droid instead. A Kyo clone leaps at her and strikes her in the head with a flaming punch, but her Ether Blob claps its hands on the Kyo clone to stun him, then grabs him by his legs and swings him out to strike and scatter droids and Kyo clones directly in front of her, badly injuring the Kyo clone she is wielding in the process. Kira's big, toothy grin collapses when Chez Shay descends in front of her, facing the Kyo clones and stretching her arms upward and back, sticking her bare breasts out as far as she can manage. The Kyo clones immediately become awe-struck and distracted, and Kira facepalms. Chez Shay finishes her stretch, gives Kira an amused look out of the corner of her face, then moves out of her way. The moment she does, Kira lunges at the Kyo clones in a huge drop kick with her Ether Blob's mighty muscular legs and big booted feet, bowling them over. She gets shot by an Attack Drone's charged shot, jolts with an angry grunt, and her Ether Blob lashes out to snatch a pair of Blade Drones that were moving in to slash her. It swings out with the droids, ripping through the Attack Drone, slashing and wounding some inward-rushing Kyo clones, and damaging some other droids. Kira throws the Blade Drones at more droids the next moment, her confident grin having returned.

The Beast cackles madly as he swoops about, flinging missiles at everything from the droids to the Kyo clones to the floor, walls, ceiling and parked aircraft, damaging all he sees. A Blade Drone darts in and attempts to slash him, but he backs up fast enough to avoid it, and blows the droid away with a close-range missile. A Kyo clone leaps up and grabs him from behind, but stares in horror when The Beast slowly and very uncannily twists his neck around like an owl to look straight back at the Kyo clone with a terrifying shark-tooth grin. He bites the Kyo clone's arm, and hangs on as the Kyo clone shrieks in pain and flails, his arm starting to bleed. The Kyo clone manages to punch him off, but gets sent flying by a missile launched in retaliation. The Beast is shot the next moment by a Missile Drone, yelps as he flops across the floor from the blast impact, then snarls ferociously as he rises into the air and returns fire with his own missiles, having remembered how offended he was by the droids having "stolen" his attack method. He resumes scattering missiles everywhere, once again inflicting damage on droids, Kyo clones, the parked aircraft, the floor, walls, and ceiling.

Lyla stays seated on her carpet, her Roll Card still active, and she scatters wood bolts from her Tambourines at the many and surging enemies, while gliding around evasively to avoid letting any Kyo clones board her carpet. The droids shoot at her as she flies around, and Sasha releases bombs at them along with Lyla's own shots. The myriad projectiles pelt the droids and Kyo clones, and some of those that are hit try to shield themselves with their arms, the shots surprisingly painful to the clones. During a flyby as she eludes the droids' shots, a Kyo clone manages to grab her carpet, and she yelps in fright when he scrambles up on to it. He promptly gets knocked right back off by a bomb from Sasha, who stays close to Lyla. The Kyo clones keep trying to hit her with jumping, flaming uppercuts and flying kicks, but she carefully avoids the attacks, and keeps spraying her wood bolts. She yelps again, however, when a Missile Drone's projectile nails her in a chance shot amidst the chaos, and breaks her Roll Card. She fumbles as she tries to ready the next one, spilling her cards onto her lap, and three Kyo clones spring up onto her carpet, causing her to squeal in fright. They ready to attack, when Chez Shay descends right beside Lyla, laying sideways on her vacuum cleaner to show off her entire body, one leg drawn up to keep her knees far apart. One of the Kyo clones grunts suddenly, and actually faints, falling backward off of Lyla's carpet. Evidently that stance was his weakness. Chez Shay cackles while Lyla ignores this as she activates her Roll Card. Chez Shay blasts one Kyo clone with her rocket launching Gunbrella, while Sasha pops the other off with a bomb, securing her carpet. Chez Shay gives Lyla a very amused and disturbing look, and Lyla just tries to keep her focus on Chez Shay's face, as she forms a blush and nods in appreciation. Chez Shay sits up and flies off, and Lyla flies the other way to resume her attack along with Sasha, putting the scene out of her mind.

As Chez Shay swoops about, the sweat on her nude body now slowly beginning to dry, she continues to distract the Kyo clones by showing off her body, then scattering rockets to send them flying. What is actually giving her trouble, however, is the twenty-or-so droids that have gathered up in pursuit behind her. Attack Drones spraying shots, Missile Drones launching ballistics, Option Drones firing lasers or bullets. Chez Shay is aware of them, however, regularly glancing back at them with a dark look, as she flies about thrusting her bare breasts or backside at the Kyo clones to redden their faces and distract them from attacking her allies. She also moves erratically to avoid the many shots coming at her from the droids all around and behind her. But finally, one accurate charged shot from an Attack Drone hits her in the back, and breaks her Roll Card. This is when she turns, that psychotic grin on her face again, and sprays rockets at the big crowd of droids. Some Shield Drones and the Option Drones with their shields ready block some of the ensuing blasts, but many, many more are destroyed, and as she keeps firing the rockets at a machine gun's rate, she breaks through the Option Drones' shields to destroy them too. She swings her weapon out once she is satisfied with the droid destruction, still firing, to induce chaos and collateral damage to her surroundings, hitting other enemies all around her, as well as the hangar itself, and the aircraft parked in it, damaging everything in much the same way as The Beast has been doing all along. She laughs wildly as she fires, then stops very abruptly, remembering she needs to keep a Roll Card active. She takes off flying again, activating one as she goes. Her amorous blush has eased up just slightly.

As the battle rages, Kyo clones go flying, droids explode, shots whizz and dart in nearly every direction, some aircraft go up in flames, pieces of the ceiling hit the floor, and some Kyo clones just stop fighting. They look around at the mayhem that has ensued, and a particularly gobsmacked one among them exclaims, "Un-freakin'-believable! They're wiping us out! A bunch of GIRLS! Wiping US out!" A Kyo clone runs by behind them screaming, a Uroktor clamped firmly on to his waist.

Another Kyo clone with this batch of stunned ones watches as the attacks of his allies fail to cause more than jolts in Bella's group, and complains, "They're fully armed now! Including those cheap Contour Barriers of theirs!" A Plasma Orb zips by in the background, creating a big blast that sends droids and Kyo clones flying.

A third, frightened Kyo clone cries out, "Why weren't we warned about this?!" A different Kyo clone runs by behind them again, also screaming, with The Beast's maw clamped onto the back of his head. Clearly that rabbit doll is very hungry indeed. A very disturbed Kyo clone with this bunch just shakes his head in horror and replies, "I have no freakin' idea, but this is insane!"

The Kyo clones gasp in a mix of fear and awe when Chez Shay descends in front of them, sitting on her vacuum cleaner with her legs apart. She overheard their reactions, and is sneering, as she says, "Can we help it if we're just THIS," she greatly widens the separation of her legs, "good?" The Kyo clones' faces turn beet red, and while some of them try to get a grip on themselves, they fail to do so in time before Chez Shay chucks several hand grenades to their feet, then backs away quickly as the blasts send the men flying with screams.

Bella jumps back on her wrench to fly away when several Option Drones come at her with their swords active. She shoots back at them with the grappler end of her wrench, and dodges hard to avoid a flying punch from a Kyo clone. She stops directly in front of one of the fighter-jet sized aircraft parked in the hangar. She stops fighting for a moment, as she gazes upon the craft and becomes enamored by it. She moves over it to look at its pilot compartment, and smiles. She allows her thoughts to wander for a bit, (They've made such beautiful pieces of work out of these fighters. I wonder why they haven't been using them against us?) She keeps moving around to take a look at its various components, and thinks, (This thing isn't like anything that I've seen before. In the time I've been with the Estate and even before then, I've seen a lot of incredible feats of engineering, but these smaller ones are just as awesome. It's amazingly-well built. It's a crying shame they're gonna be destroyed when this base blows up, and I can't even take one of them back with me to the Estate.) She looks around in general, and muses, (I wonder if the schematics for these things are available somewhere easy to reach? ...I doubt it... And I really don't have the time to go hunting for them...) She flinches when she sees Zan get punched in the face by a Kyo clone, only to punch the guy right back twice as hard with Plasma power to instantly floor him. She continues to think, (...And Zan is too busy to scan them for me right now...) She suddenly gets shot by an Attack Drone, yelps, and realizes, (And technically I'm too busy to be distracted by these things too!) She returns fire on the droid with orbs of Light, and decides, (...But when I get home, I'm gonna get going on all those projects I've let pile up! The Gofer Sisters will help me too, I know it! I'm gonna build aircraft even BETTER than this! I'm gonna build a legendary aircraft, and I'm gonna make Zan proud of me, both here, and in the future!) She now starts moving away from the aircraft to avoid being shot some more, and takes note of the battle, watching the girls and Zan battle valiantly. Their success makes her feel good, and she thinks, (I'm just glad we're winning now. I hope everyone will let it slide that I screwed up the start of this mission so badly. ...They keep telling me it's ok, so I gotta let it slide, too, I guess.) She moves onward, and begins to attack enemies again.

Zan deflects a Missile Drone's shot, grabs a Kyo clone to electrocute him with Plasma energy, then sends him flying after a moment, and performs a flying ax-kick to demolish a Blade Drone before it gets a chance to strike him. Suddenly, he receives a confirmation signal from his cybernetic mental systems that the diagnostic he was running in the background is complete. He checks the results, as he gets gut-socked by a Kyo clone, to which he retaliates with a metal forehead bash that lays the Kyo clone out. When Zan finishes checking the results, a serious look takes over his face. He turns to face the others in general and calls out, "My ladies!" The girls, and many of the enemies, look at him, and he declares, "The Interdimensional Static is indeed housed within this base!"

The enemies give each other incredulous looks, and one particular Kyo clone heckles, "Woooh... Look at the genius! Look at the genius!"

Kira, who happens to be nearby, flares with rage, red dots forming in the pupils of her eyes, and she snarls, "Shut the HELL up!" She lunges in before the Kyo clone can react, grabs him with her Ether Blob, and squashes him against the floor to silence him.

Zan observes this with only slight disturbance, before continuing, "...But my scans indicate that the static seems to have actually been merged with the facility itself, contained within a core of some sort deep within the structure. With the Static having become one with the base, we won't be able to purge it through standard methods." Some malicious murmuring rolls through the enemies.

Teresa, safely surrounded by Uroktors, is paying attention. She asks, "What does that mean, master?" Her Uroktors keep snapping and spitting tar at Kyo clones and droids that dare to move too close.

Zan suddenly grabs a Shield Drone trying to attack him and literally rips it in half, frightening some of the enemies. He gives said enemies a dark look, then turns his attention back to Bella's group as he responds slowly, evidently deliberately raising the tension, "What that means, is that we have only one option left for terminating the Static." He then slams the two droid halves to the floor forcefully, as if to emphasize his dramatic point, "We must DESTROY this base! That will certainly take the Static with it!"

Chez Shay is paying attention as well, as she floats before a couple of mesmerized Kyo clones, leaning-back on her vacuum cleaner with her legs apart. She suddenly cracks up at the sight of Zan's symbolic smashing of the droid, and exclaims, "You coulda told me to do that WITHOUT giving a reason ya'know!" The Beast, floating nearby, wildly adds, "BLOW IT UP! ALWAYS A GOOD IDEA!"

Zan looks down at the two broken halves of the droid as he ominously resumes, "And the best and quickest way to do that is..?" Everyone watches as he lifts his head to face the group directly, folding his arms like a badass, and declares, "Summon your Guardians!"

Big grins form on all the Amethytus girls' faces, greatly unnerving the Kyo clones and alarming the droids. The girls had been wanting to call their Guardians for some time now. Lyla, however, is unfamiliar with exactly what he means. She blinks, quietly echoes, "...Guardians?" and gives Sasha a curious look, which she imitates.

Chez Shay is quite intrigued, especially given the reactions of the Amethytus girls, and remarks, "I take it those are your trump cards?" "I LIKE THE SOUND OF THAT!" The Beast comments with a devious grin.

Bella has a big, fanged grin, exclaiming, "Ohh yeah! I had been hoping to hear those words out of your mouth!"

Teresa, trying too hard as usual, just laughs, "OH-HOHOHO!"

Bridgette gives Zan an adoring look, cheering, "My second-favorite three words!"

Kira gives the enemies a frightening grin, and shouts at them, "You fools better get ready for your demise!"

Zan observes as the Amethytus girls take on unnecessarily dramatic poses, which amuses him.

Bella twirls her wrench around, then holds it straight up horizontally, as she summons, "Palindrome! Let's wipe out these invaders!" A long, mechanical groan is heard, and a distortion forms in the air. The huge, geometric, mechanical battlecraft darts out of the distortion, taking up a lot of space in the air of the hangar, and emits another loud groan. The Kyo clones near it start hollering in fright. Lyla immediately recognizes it, and yelps in surprise.

Bridgette swipes her scythe a couple of times, and points it forward, as she summons, "Amethyst Acklay! Come out and play!" A fearsome, bestial scream is heard, and a huge spike of Amethyst juts up from the ground amidst a bunch of droids, instantly destroying them. The spike sprouts legs, then converts fully into the huge, crystalline Acklay. The Kyo clones nearby scream in horror, and the Acklay rolls its head as it releases a drawn-out, vicious scream. The Beast's jaw drops, and he forms hearts in his eyes.

Kira tightly folds her arms, tilts her head back in a wicked laugh, then follows up immediately as she summons, "Abyssal Lagiacrus! Drag them down to your depths!" A frightening, slightly warped roar echoes from below, and a big, black pool of water forms in the ground behind Kira. With a louder roar and an exploding splash of water and electricity, the inky-black and blue, monstrous alligator leviathan the size of an eighteen-wheeler truck bursts up and crashes down on the deck of the hangar, quaking the entire floor. The Abyssal Lagiacrus roars again, with such intense volume the very air is distorted, and the nearby Kyo clones are forced to cover their ears. Its eyes shimmer with electricity, which sizzles all along its body and the spikes on its back. Its mere presence causes all nearby droids to start shaking uncontrollably, casting off sparks, and some Kyo clones stumble backward onto their rumps in horror. Sasha stares in awe.

Teresa keeps her arms akimbo, and her Uroktors dance around her, as she summons, "Tar Agnaktor! Unleash your black tide!" A shrill, yowling shriek fills the air, and a humongous Tar Pit forms before her, into which several Kyo clones fall, screaming in fright. The mighty Tar Agnaktor bursts up the next instant in nearly the same manner as the Abyssal Lagiacrus. It lands with a deck-shaking thud, splashing tar all around and gunking up everything and every enemy nearby, ruining numerous droids and sending a panic rippling through the Kyo clones. The Tar Agnaktor violently snaps its beak several times and finishes with a squawking roar that is also so loud it forces the Kyo clones to hunch and squint, covering their ears in pain. The giant Tar Pit closes, sealing the fate of the Kyo clones who fell in. Chez Shay, seeing all of these creatures, has started laughing loudly, her eyes very wide, pupils shrunk in near complete insanity.

Zan remains standing where he was, arms folded still, a big grin on his face, his cybernetic eye showing the Triumph Icon.

The girls point at the enemies with their weapons as they make their orders. Bella shouts with a toothy smile, "Attack the base!" Bridgette adds with ferocity, "Attack EVERYTHING!" Kira punches a fist into a palm, her Ether Blob imitating her, as she exclaims, "Destroy this facility and everything in it!" Teresa finishes up with great pride, "Show NESTS not to mess with the amazing Amethytus Entourage!"

The four mighty creatures acknowledge with eardrum-splitting war-roars. The majority of the Kyo clones break into a complete panic and start running around and away, not knowing at all how to fight these magnificent creatures. Chez Shay, The Beast, Lyla and Sasha become extremely excited.

Palindrome immediately opens fire on the crowd, scattering paw-shaped energy shots in every direction, and the shots shoot down several droids immediately. Some shoot back, their shots hitting Palindrome's armored body and doing little to damage it. Palindrome's shots blast away several Kyo clones and destroy several parked aircraft. Bella flies up beside Palindrome, and excitedly says, "Don't hold back, Palindrome! Turn!"

Palindrome contorts suddenly, then rights itself again, scattering a huge storm of big, purple orbs in every direction. The blasts from the storm of projectiles destroy many more droids and parked aircraft, damage the walls, and send Kyo clones flying. Lyla takes in this sight as the devastation begins, and mumbles, "I remember that machine... Bella used it to fight us when she was working for her mother to revive the Draupnir." She gives Sasha a pleased look, and adds, "It's so nice to have it on our side, now!" Sasha, in turn, nods happily and replies, "It caused us a lot of trouble, so now that its power is being used for good, the bad guys won't stand a chance!"

After this signature attack, Bella wastes no time in stating, "Palindrome, I gotta stay with my friends! Do what you think is best! But for this moment, show these jerks your greatest ability! Fire!"

Palindrome stops firing. Chez Shay blinks. Palindrome emits a mechanical groan, and its two halves separate to reveal its big interior cannon with heart-shaped power core, which is glowing brightly. Chez Shay snerks at the sight of that, but her disdain is immediately replaced with awe when Palindrome fires its massive, destructive energy beam, and sweeps it across the hangar, annihilating droids, obliterating parked aircraft, launching Kyo clones and sending many more running for cover. The attack demolishes the section of the hangar itself that gets swept up by the beam. When it ends the attack, Palindrome starts backing up toward the exit of the hangar bay. Bella moves down amidst the horrified Kyo clones, and smacks one of them with her wrench. Palindrome backs completely out of the hangar, starts coming under fire from anti-air guns, and returns fire with its own myriad paw-shaped cannon shots. It leaves the visibility of the hangar bay door.

The Amethyst Acklay charges toward a batch of Kyo clones. Some of them shout in fright. Several droids shoot at the creature. A Kyo clone builds up flame energy to blast the Amethyst Acklay, while another one jumps onto its back with good timing. The huge creature ignores the droids' shots, jolts slightly from the flame blast, and clamps its toothy maw on the Kyo clone that jumped on it, stabbing him with its many, huge, dagger-like teeth. Tasting human blood causes the Acklay to react with revulsion, and it throws the wounded Kyo clone at the others. It leaps forward to crash down amidst them, causing many crystal spikes to burst up from the ground all around it and severely injure many enemies, sending them flying. It charges forward and sweeps a claw to strike and launch a Kyo clone. Another throws a flaming uppercut at the creature, which connects, but the Acklay barely registers it, and sweeps a leg to send the Kyo clone flying. It rears up, screaming, and stamps its front pair of legs down, creating a huge, expanding ring of crystal spikes that lay waste to the floor of the structure and send Kyo clones and droids flying. The Beast watches all of this, beating hearts for eyes, and clasps his paws together beside his head in passion. Chez Shay notices, and forms a very confused look. A Blade Drone tries to slash the Amethyst Acklay, but its blades break on the creature's crystalline exoskeleton, and the Amethyst Acklay snaps the droid up in its mouth and crushes it. An explosion from outside the hangar is immediately followed by the entire base shuddering visibly. The alarm of the base changes type the next moment, likely indicating to its inhabitants that the base itself is now under attack. The Acklay charges forward amidst panicking Kyo clones, scattering them with its one-animal stampede, and races toward a doorway in the back-right of the hangar, mowing down Kyo clones and droids that get in its way. It crashes clean through the closed doorway, and disappears within the corridor beyond, smashing sounds and screaming people emitting from the passage for a short time afterward.

Bridgette, meanwhile, builds up Plasma energy, and swings her scythe to release a swirling blade of Plasma that strikes through multiple Kyo clones and droids, inflicting significant damage.

The Abyssal Lagiacrus builds up a huge surge of electricity within its body, to the point that the many spikes all along its back glow vividly, Voltage arcing between them, and a haze of raw electricity forms over its back. The droids near it burst from overloading electricity, and the rest of the droids in the hangar start to malfunction as well, along with the lights and electronics of the terminals in the walls starting to flicker and spark. With a thunderous roar, the Abyssal Lagiacrus creates a huge field of static that expands out into the entire hangar. Every single droid, easily over a hundred of them, crash to the ground and explode, completely clearing the air of all enemy fliers. The Kyo clones scream in horror. Sasha emits an involuntary cheer, then promptly hides inside her oil lamp shell in bashfulness when Lyla gives her a cute look. The Lagiacrus creates a massive orb of electricity in its mouth. The base shudders again after a blasting sound that emits from outside. The creature flings the orb at a bunch of Kyo clones trying to flee the hangar through a door in the back, destroying the door and launching the Kyo clones all over. The creature slither-crawls after them, its footsteps producing miniature thunderclaps and leaving sparking footprint dents in the deck floor. It punches into the corridor, its huge size smashing the doorframe and cracking the walls. Electric blasts from all nearby electronics follow in its wake as it leaves the hangar through the corridor.

Kira cackles during all of this, then uses this opportunity to lunge at a Kyo clone, grab him, and knock him out with a suplex that sends him bouncing into another Kyo clone, knocking him over.

The Tar Agnaktor does not immediately attack, but instead moves toward Teresa, making her tilt her head curiously. She watches in surprise as the enormous creature curls up around her very protectively, completely walling her off from the enemies. Uroktors gather all around it to improve the suddenly-produced fortification. The Agnaktor snaps its beak several times, making a very loud and distinctive clapping noise, to build up energy, then sweeps a beam of napalm out to ignite everything hit, including some droids before they all get destroyed by the Lagiacrus' big static attack. Kyo clones hit by the attack run around screaming in pain, not used to being hurt by fire, though technically the napalm of the Agnaktor is of the Lava element and thus bypasses their resistance to Fire. The Tar Agnaktor then lowers its humongous head down to look closely at Teresa, and emits a very quiet grumble. Despite its size, it manages to very delicately touch her face with the tip of its beak, making her giggle and pat it in response. It grunts when the base shudders from the blast heard coming from outside. It narrows its eyes when Chez Shay moves over it to look down at Teresa. She calls out cacklingly, "That is utterly HILARIOUS! You're not just Zan's baby, but this thing's baby too, huh?" Her eyes widen, and she draws back slightly when the creature raises its head to her level, looking at her with a glare that is intimidating even to Chez Shay. She carefully corrects, "...Or is it the other way around?"

Teresa is now absolutely confident within the protective "wall" of her Guardian, and boasts, "Of course it is! Maybe now you'll respect me when you see that even this magnificent creature obeys my commands!"

The Tar Agnaktor looks at Teresa again, and can sense her beaming confidence. It seems pleased by this, but watches carefully as Teresa declares to it, "Don't worry about me! I have all of my stuff back now, master Zan is here, and I'm with my friends. Yes, even that crazy, naked girl is an ally. We won't get separated again! Get out there and tear this base apart! Do it for Amethytus! Do it for me!" She finishes with a proud little laugh.

The Tar Agnaktor claps its beak in confirmation, making Chez Shay flinch due to being rather close. It spots some terrified Kyo clones running out of the hangar through a third door in the back-left of the hangar, and shambles after them across the floor, with half a dozen Uroktors following after it, all spitting Tar Blobs indiscriminately. The huge creature leaves molten tar in its trail, which promptly catches fire. It spits a huge blast of tar at some of the exiting Kyo clones, making them shriek, and it plows into the doorway, leaving nothing but burning tar behind as it begins its individual assault on the base.

Chez Shay flies off, spraying rockets again, still nude, but her sweat has nearly stopped, and her blush is reduced a little further. Teresa, seeing no Shield Drones to attack for now, looks for something to attack.

Only a few Kyo clones remain. Clearly they are the bravest and the toughest of the bunch. While one of them lunges at Bridgette, Bella's group also notices that the hangar is once again beginning to fill with droids, all of them coming in from outside through the hangar bay door. The chamber shudders when another blast echoes from outside. Bella feels quite pleased that Palindrome is doing very well its job of damaging the base, and can only imagine the excellent show it must be putting on. She turns her attention to an Option Drone coming in to attack her. It swings its sword, energy edge first, to strike her, but her barrier absorbs the hit. She lashes a Light Slash to damage the droid, and it bashes her with its shield. She hits the shield point-blank with a Cat Bullet, and the burst makes the droid recoil heavily, leaving it vulnerable to another Light Slash, which hits in tandem with a Uroktor's leaping up to spear it with its beak, making Bella flinch, then smile. This finishes the droid off.

Kira, finding no Kyo clones attacking her, pulls out her FN-P90 once again and starts shooting at the airborne droids with a spray of bullets. Several Attack Drones respond with their own shots, and her Ether Blob smashes a Blade Drone moving in for an attack. She shoots down two Attack Drones before Shield Drones get in the way. Suddenly a pair of Uroktors leap out of the floor and hit the Shield Drones from behind, disorienting and disarraying them enough for her to rush toward them and slam against them with her Ether Blob's big muscular arms, scattering them about and causing some to collide with the droids they were protecting.

Bridgette flinches when the Kyo clone flies in at her in a flaming roundhouse kick. She jolts and yelps when the attack connects, then sweeps her scythe upward to hit him with an upward surging Lightning bolt that only makes him stagger. She finds herself facing a surprisingly tough-looking Kyo clone, and he punches a fist into a hand, igniting both hands. He throws a hard left hook, striking her. He follows up with a roundhouse backhand, a sudden knee slam, then slams his fists to the ground at an angle to send a huge wave of flames roaring against her. She narrows her eyes and grits her teeth as she resists these attacks. The flame rush at the end knocks her onto her back. Her legs apart, the Kyo clone can't help but notice her lack of underwear, and briefly becomes distracted with surprise. He becomes more surprised when Chez Shay flies in, nude, but now dry, and floats in the air over Bridgette, with a suggestive look. The Kyo clone then surprises THEM when he swiftly lunges at Chez Shay for a flying, flaming punch, seemingly immune to the allure of her nudity. Caught off guard, Chez Shay is struck, and her Roll Card is broken. The Kyo clone yelps, however, when a Uroktor comes flying in and nails him in the side, sending him crashing to the floor. The Uroktor jumps off the next moment when the Kyo clone is blasted by Chez Shay's rockets and an orb of Voltage from Bridgette the next second, and gets sent flying. Chez Shay gives Bridgette an incredulous look, and Bridgette shrugs as she climbs to her feet. Chez Shay notices the Uroktor looking at her in curiosity, and she wiggles her bare legs at it. It is taken aback, narrows an eye with what can only be described as a "what the..." look, then loses interest and turns to attack a nearby droid with a Tar Blob. Chez Shay chuckles as she activates another Roll Card, and watches as The Beast goes to town on the droids swarming into the base, which suddenly shudders from another of Palindrome's attacks outside.

He swoops about, avoids a charged shot from an Attack Drone, and alights on a Blade Drone. The droid ends up cutting into itself when it attempts to swing its blades up and hit The Beast, who jumps off at the last second, and the droid's blades hit itself instead. He laughs, then yelps when he is shot by an Option Drone's laser. Snarling, he creates four large missiles, and flings them simultaneously, destroying the enemy in a flash.

Teresa finally sees more Shield Drones, and starts flinging Bone Spears at them. Her Uroktors leap and spring and jump and vault all over the place, looking like a pod of dolphins springing out of the surface of water, their precisely-timed Tar Holes being the water. They snap their beaks at the droids as though trying to catch and eat them, catching some and missing others. Some Uroktors leap straight up out of Tar Holes, spit some globs of tar in random directions, then drop back into their Tar Holes to move elsewhere. The droids try to fight back, attacking with shots and slashes, and the Uroktors that get hit respond with yelps and backflips into Tar Holes to escape. Teresa flings a Bone Spear at a Shield Drone guarding an Attack Drone as it builds a charge to attack her with, hitting them both and destroying them. She casts Weaken on a batch of Blade Drones to render their attacks useless against her allies.

Lyla remains on her carpet, scattering shots from her Tambourines at the droid swarm, rapidly racking up damage. Sasha releases bombs, and focuses one on an approaching Blade Drone to stop and destroy it. She watches as a series of Option Drones form a stack, and turn constantly, spraying lasers and bullets at everyone. Lyla glides out of the way frantically, and scatters shots at them. Distracted, she gets blasted by a Missile Drone, and loses her Roll Card. She takes out another one, and Sasha is about to hit the droid with a bomb, when one of Teresa's Uroktors springs out of nowhere and lands on Lyla's carpet, causing her to scream in fright. It gives her a "...what?" look, then spits a glob of tar at the Missile Drone, gunking it up and causing it to blow itself up. The Uroktor stays there on her carpet, spitting at other droids, and Lyla and Sasha look at each other. They smile, feeling a little safer now with this big, friendly monster helping them. She activates her Roll Card, resumes shooting at the droids, and Sasha attacks the stack of Option Drones with her bombs, ruining their formation.

Zan has taken out his Pulse Rifle and Arc-Welder for dual-wield shooting at the flying droids, which swarm around him and shoot at him with their weapons. He jumps forward suddenly and ax-kicks a Shield Drone, spiking it to the floor where it blows up, and he shoots at a Blade Drone with his Arc-Welder, the electric damage bringing it down just before it reaches him to attack. He finishes it off with shots from his Pulse Rifle, then gets shot from behind by a Missile Drone. He jolts in reaction, then aims to fire his Arc-Welder at it, while firing his Pulse Rifle in tandem in the opposite direction at an Attack Drone also firing upon him. Suddenly, Zan gets blasted by a very heavy shot that throws him off his feet with a loud yelp that catches the girls' attention. His Contour Barrier sparks from the powerful strike.

They then notice that the remaining Kyo clones seem to be gone, and five of the parked fightercraft that escaped being destroyed are now active, and rolling across the deck of the hangar toward them. The girls shriek as the fightercraft open fire with their much more powerful laser cannons, which cause small blasts on impact with anything. Kira is hit and knocked to the ground with a loud grunt. Chez Shay is hit and her Roll Card is broken. She glowers in fury as she evades more of their shots, while The Beast moves toward her in response to hearing her snarling. Bridgette runs to the side and leaps behind a large piece of ruined aircraft debris for cover, as it has been proven that these shots hit VERY hard against their Contour Barriers. Teresa yelps in fright when a laser zips by over her head, her pigtails bristling up. Lyla and Sasha squeal simultaneously as she swerves to avoid being blasted. Zan jumps and rolls to avoid more shots. He eyes a sixth parked fightercraft that is not being used. Bella flies toward Teresa and creates a Light Screen to block more shots just before they hit her, and the Uroktors by her that would have otherwise sacrificed themselves for their mistress. Sasha moves ahead of the group entirely, and creates her projectile-slowing field to give them cover time to take action.

Amidst the storm of attacks from the droids from other directions, the group turns their attention toward these big, dangerous enemies. The base shudders from another of Palindrome's attacks, as Kira takes to the air. She puts her FN-P90 away, and flies toward one of the fightercraft, relying on Sasha's barrier field to hold back its shots. Zan jumps toward the sixth, empty fightercraft, leaps onto it, and yanks open its pilot compartment. He drops down into the seat, and takes a moment to hack into the craft's still-working electronics. He starts it up, and grabs the throttles. Bridgette uses the cover to attack the many droids still coming at them from other directions with Chain Lightning, which brings down many quickly. Her attacks also catch their attention, since everyone else but for Lyla has stopped attacking them. Lyla, for her part, keeps scattering her wood bolts at the droids, while her Uroktor friend, as well as the others all over the place, spit tar and make leap attacks to take some more droids down. Chez Shay and The Beast just immediately open fire on the fightercraft in general. Bella gives Teresa a look of affirmation, and Teresa nods. They ready to focus on one of the fightercraft.

Kira reaches one of the fightercraft and lands on it, her Ether Blob covering the entire nose of the craft. She can see the Kyo clone inside, and he yelps. Kira grins as she throws a weak little punch with her own fist against the window of the craft. The Kyo clone responds by thrusting his head toward her tauntingly. He is unnerved, however, by the fact that Kira's expression hasn't changed. Then he realizes that the pilot's compartment is filling with the Ether Blob's fluid, and starts to panic. He freaks out when it goes over his head. He frantically pops the hood open, and scrambles to get out before he drowns, only for Kira's Ether Blob to clap its hands on his head, instantly rendering him unconscious, and the fightercraft no longer a threat.

Chez Shay and The Beast spray explosive projectiles at their chosen fightercraft target, and quickly start damaging it with the subsequent blasts. Its shots are still being held back by Sasha, giving the two adequate protection from the return fire and greatly frustrating the Kyo clone pilot. The Beast happens to notice as the attack progresses that Chez Shay's blush has diminished further, reduced to a mild one. She is also no longer sweating. He pays no further attention to this however. He turns back to watch as the fightercraft takes too much damage and explodes, the pilot's compartment emergency-ejecting the Kyo clone. Right into the ceiling of the hangar. His body, visible from only the waist down, hangs from the hole he made in the ceiling. His legs kick for a bit, but he shortly goes unconscious. Chez Shay and The Beast just about die from laughter.

Having hijacked one of the fightercraft himself, Zan pilots it to turn and start shooting at the other fighters. Two of them turn to shoot back, and with Sasha's protection field not between Zan and the enemies, they are able to strike him. Their aim isn't as good as Zan's, which is cybernetically-enhanced, but they slowly lock in on him. He, for his part, quickly nails critical points on one of the enemy fightercraft, and blows a wing and a blaster clean off, before some of their shots start damaging his craft's chassis. The enemy craft shortly breaks down, spewing smoke and sparks, when Zan focuses his fire on it. The Kyo clone scrambles to get out, but gets shot by Zan and goes flying with a scream.

One of the fightercraft keeps rolling toward the group, particularly toward Bella and Teresa, trying to get by Sasha's protection field. The two quickly fire upon it with Light orbs and Bone Spears, but they prove rather ineffective. Bella releases a Cat Bullet to damage some droids as it flies toward the craft, and the moment it hits, the entire fightercraft jolts from the powerful burst of the shot. It keeps shooting though, its shots still getting caught in Sasha's barrier, and she can tell she's almost out of stamina to use for it. She tries very hard to keep it going though. Since three of the other craft have stopped attacking or have been destroyed, their shots have disappeared in her projectile-slowing field, and a fourth has turned its attention elsewhere. She has confidence the others will be able to finish the enemies off, and grits her little teeth. Teresa notices that the craft is rolling, using wheels, trying to avoid the potholes that pockmark the deck. She gets a sinister little look, that catches Bella's attention, and she ends up subconsciously imitating it. Teresa proceeds to create a Tar Pit beneath the fightercraft. It promptly crashes down into the pit, and the Kyo clone yelps in confusion and surprise. Flames from the burning tar the Tar Agnaktor left, as well as sparks from nearby ruined droids, then ignite the pit, which goes up in a violent explosion, smashing the fightercraft against the ceiling and pinning it there. Teresa and Bella give each other another high-five, and grin.

Sasha finally ends the field when she sees that the group is safe, and starts releasing bombs again at the droids still swarming about. Zan and the last enemy fightercraft continue to exchange fire, and Zan's fightercraft is starting to take too much damage. He narrows his eyes fiercely as he keeps firing, the Kyo clone imitating the expression. At the last second, Zan leaps out of the fightercraft just as he fires one last series of shots that inflict enough damage to destroy the enemy fightercraft, which fired just enough shots to ruin Zan's fightercraft at the same moment. The Kyo clone climbs out frantically as his craft breaks down and readies to explode. He looks up just in time to see Zan fly in foot first to kick him clean off the fightercraft, across the deck, and into a wall, knocking him out. Zan backflips after inflicting the hit, lands on the deck in a dramatic, three-point landing posture, eyes shadowed by his forehead, and both his and the enemy fightercraft blow up in tandem behind him. The girls grin, laugh and cheer.

Bella looks around as everyone resumes fighting the droids, and sees that the hangar has been demolished thoroughly. Parts of ruined aircraft, destroyed droids, upturned floor parts, chunks of the ceiling, burning tar, and unconscious Kyo clones are spread across the floor. She notices the three doors in the back. She jumps on her wrench, prompting Teresa to jump on her GravBoard. Bella moves to fly toward the door amidst the swarming droids, and calls out to her teammates, "Everyone! This area's finished! Let's find another area to attack, and get away from these limitless droids!"

Chez Shay grimaces, spraying rockets at a cluster of Shield Drones desperately trying to hold her back, and she half-seriously fusses, "How can you WANT to stop such endless fun?! Spoil-sport!"

Bridgette looks around at the ruined chamber, nods, and responds, "I, for one, agree with Bella! We can't keep doing this forever!"

Lyla becomes thoroughly relieved at the prospect of getting away from the enemies, and exclaims, "Me too! Let's get out of here!" The Uroktor on her carpet hops off when she flies after Bella.

Zan, Teresa, Bridgette, Kira, Lyla, Sasha, Chez Shay and The Beast all follow after Bella. The Uroktors hang back, spitting Tar Blobs at the pursuing droids, until Teresa leaves their sight. All of them promptly backflip into Tar Holes to leave the area. The group barges into the corridor the Amethyst Acklay had entered. The base shudders, causing Bridgette to stumble slightly. They race along the heavily damaged corridor, which is covered in Amethyst residue, crystal spikes, the remains of demolished droids, and knocked out Kyo clones all along the way. Attack, Blade, Missile, Option and Shield Drones flood into the corridor after them, practically filling it wall-to-wall. Those in the lead with ranged attacks shoot at them relentlessly. Kira gets shot in the back, and her eyes flare wide as she reacts, "Holy CRAP, tenacious enough for you?!" She uses her GravPack to turn around and glide backward, while shooting at them with her FN-P90.

Teresa yelps when she too is shot in the back and staggers on her GravBoard. She frowns in annoyance and shouts, "Give it up already!" as she flings a Bone Spear at them, damaging several.

Chez Shay is also shot once again, and once again loses a Roll Card. She narrows an eye in great aggravation, stops fleeing to face the droids, and shouts, "Ok, NOW I'm tired of that! TAKE THIS!" She sprays a bunch of rockets at the droids behind them, The Beast turning to help.

The blasts they create quickly destroy many droids, but also increase the damage to the corridor behind them beyond its limit. Suddenly, and violently, the ceiling of the corridor caves in, crushing several droids, and plugging the corridor up completely behind the group. They come to a stop, and stare, as a silence instantly fills the corridor, the only sound being the alarm still going in the background. The girls have various reactions to this, ranging from Bella and Kira becoming irritated, to Teresa and Lyla becoming relieved. Bridgette just gives Zan a grimace, and he just shrugs, with a light sideways tilt of his head. Kira glares at Chez Shay, and angrily mutters, "...You HAD to go and do that..."

Chez Shay flinches rather hard, her bare breasts jolting, then throws a fierce glare at Kira as she retorts, "WHAT?! You WANTED them to keep shooting at your little blue ass?!"

Before Kira can volley an insult back, Bella speaks up in complaint, "That MIGHT have been our only way to get out of here later!"

Chez Shay agitatedly taps her shoulder with her Gunbrella, leaning forward a bit on her vacuum cleaner, as she responds, "Well sooorrieee, princess-kittyhead. Next time we're being shot at by nine-hundred droids, I'll just LET them pelt you with projectiles!" "DUDE, WHERE'S THE APPRECIATION?!" The Beast adds in annoyance, arms folded.

Zan suddenly says, rather calmly, "No, it was an effective method." Bella and Kira look at Zan in surprise, and he gives them a nod as he continues, "I HIGHLY doubt that was the only exit in the base. This place is far too large to rely on just one hangar. So please calm down, Kira, Bella. Let's take advantage of this little reprieve we've received from the constant fighting. You all must be tired, and I have to commend you all on how hard you've been working."

The girls acknowledge this, nodding and sighing. Lyla relaxes a little, feeling at least somewhat safe again, and comments, "It sure has been a long mission... Long, exciting, scary... We gotta take advantage of every break! So let's calm down and enjoy the quiet a little bit." The base shudders from a distant explosion, prompting Sasha to add, "...Almost."

Bridgette wobbles during the shuddering, causing Teresa to give her an amused look. Bridgette notices it, and returns it with a mild glare that leads Teresa to pretend she wasn't looking. Bridgette sighs, and takes hold of Zan's arm. Bella also sighs, and acknowledges Lyla's comment, "You're right about that... We should still keep going though. We need to find more important areas to demolish."

Everyone resumes heading down the corridor at a steady, but far less frantic, pace, able to tune out the alarm, as it, fortunately, isn't terribly loud or annoying. Bella sets down off of her wrench to walk. Teresa stays on her GravBoard for now. Zan, Bridgette and Kira also walk. Chez Shay stays on her vacuum cleaner, her nude body completely dry by this point, and her blush largely subsided. She seems back to "normal", but is clearly in a very good mood. The Beast stays by her side. Lyla stays sitting on her flying carpet, looking around nervously, and Sasha stays by her side. The group in general glances around as they move through the corridor, taking in the sights of the tremendous damage the Amethyst Acklay has inflicted. Ruined terminals spark with massive cracks, big holes and spikes in them. The groaning of unconscious Kyo clones forms an undertone beneath the omnipresent alarm. A damaged Shield Drone darts around a corner suddenly, swoops up into the group's face, and shoots at them. They dodge the shots, and Teresa nails it with a Bone Spear, bringing it down, where Kira has her Ether Blob crush it under a huge fist. The corridor is littered with the debris of other droids, as well as many crystal spikes and crystalline residue. The entire hallway is severely damaged, and the sight greatly intimidates Lyla. She quietly comments, "That creature of yours Bridgette... How terrifying it is..."

Bridgette just grins with pride and replies, "Gotta love my Amethyst Acklay!" "GOTTA LUV..." The Beast growls in an enamored tone. Chez Shay gives him a perplexed look.

Kira takes a look at a massive slash mark in a wall, coated in Amethyst residue, and comments, "Man, it really takes 'destroy the base' seriously." She looks up the corridor, seeing the many stunted crystals, clearly foreign to the area, and inquires, "What's with these crystal growths? I don't remember seeing those last time I saw your Acklay go on a rampage."

Zan proceeds to explain, "They're remnants of the spikes the Amethyst Acklay can produce to-" The base shudders and everyone staggers slightly. He shortly continues, "...to attack with. They double as bombs, and will burst after a certain length of time, violently enough to inflict further damage on the area, and they tend to set each other off for a chain reaction of blasts. She uses them to damage structures, and as traps for stragglers, rather than fighting enemies directly. We're in no danger from them though." He touches one, and it glints slightly in some sort of response.

Sasha shyly asks, "You, um, called those huge monsters 'Guardians'?"

Teresa is quick to proudly reply, "Yep! Master Zan assigns a different powerful creature to serve as a Guardian for almost every woman in his Entourage! Naturally, I got a really good one." She exudes just a little too much pride, disturbing Zan.

Kira is also quick to respond to Teresa's boast, "My Abyssal Lagiacrus could kick your Tar Agnaktor's ass!"

Teresa just rolls her eyes, feeling far too confident to be goaded, and says, "Oh I'm so sure..." Kira narrows an eye in irritation.

As Lyla thinks about this, she asks, "So are they similar to our familiars?" She gives Sasha a gentle look that brings a smile to the latter's face. Chez Shay grabs The Beast by the ears for no reason, and looks at him closely. He looks closely at her with exaggeratedly wide eyes.

Zan keeps his eyes forward as they walk, and he answers, "Hmm, no. Your realm doesn't have such a concept, but some other realms I've been to had people who could summon powerful creatures to save them from danger, or just fight for them in general. A familiar hangs out with their master all the time. Our Guardians reside in a large pocket dimension that is directly connected to our transit system into other realms, which we can call them from for the purpose of retaliation and self-defense. Or for support during extreme or unique situations. I suppose large-scale base demolition should be added to that list as well."

Bridgette enthusiastically states, "My Amethyst Acklay is VERY fast, and she also specializes in handling amphibious and awkward terrain! With those spiked feet, she could climb up a sheer cliff! That is, if she can't simply JUMP up it." She grins again.

Chez Shay blinks on hearing a certain word, releasing The Beast in the process, and mutters, "...That thing was a 'she'?"

The Beast knew. He definitely knows, and releases an enraptured sigh as he comments, "ALL WOMAN." He doesn't notice as he gets stared at by half of the girls.

Lyla looks around at the Amethytus girls for a moment, then at Zan, and asks, "Zan, do you have a Guardian creature?"

He looks back at Lyla over his shoulder, and replies, "No. My 'Guardians' are Galilahi and Nizhoni. They serve a different purpose than our Guardian creatures."

Teresa sniffs in amusement, moves to orbit Zan via her GravBoard, amusing him in the process, and she gloats for him, "As if my master even NEEDED a Guardian creature to 'save' him from bad situations."

Zan averts his eyes from them as he humbly replies, "I am not invincible, you know." Teresa, as well as Bridgette, who is still holding his arm, just gives him a cute little smile.

Having come to understand the nature of Guardians a little better, the group continues to move through the ruined hallway, observing the immense damage that has been inflicted. During the conversation, they come upon a wide-open door. The damage to the corridor continues onward, however, suggesting the Amethyst Acklay skipped the chamber the door leads into. The group gives each other wary looks. They gather around the door, preparing themselves, with Teresa getting to her feet and putting her GravBoard away, and the rest checking their gear. Once ready, everyone acknowledges with a nod, and they rush through.

Zan yelps when a fist comes flying in from the blind-spot on the other side of the door and nails him in the face, staggering him back. "HEY-YOOHH!" Kusanagi blares in malicious greeting.

The girls flinch and yelp. A tight cluster of Shield Drones gathers in the doorway behind them, holding fast and blocking it off. They find themselves in what appears to be a gymnasium and training center for Kyo clones. The walls are mirrored, there are numerous sets of exercise equipment distributed throughout, and the vast majority of the center of the chamber consists of platforms at random and varying heights, used for jumping and agility training. Twelve Kyo clones are standing by, perched on the platforms in various postures, grinning malevolently at the group, and a number of droids of all types cautiously flock inward. Zan is holding his face out of subconscious action rather than pain, and mutters, "I was wondering if we'd run into you one more time..."

Kusanagi stands proud, one hand resting in a pants pocket, as he gestures with a sneer, responding, "Hey, at least your face made it to its appointment with my fist!" The base shudders from damage inflicted by the rampaging Guardians, changing his demeanor toward anger, and he growls, "Now it's time to take out the trash before the trash stinks up our base any further."

He gets snarling glares from the girls. That is, but for Bella, who just smirks confidently, ignoring his odious insult. She faces her group and says while gesturing toward the enemies, "Girls, check this out. They want a rematch. I'm seeing the exact same number of losers as the ones we fought back at the construction site." She faces the enemies now, and holds up her wrench a little as she declares, "We were off our game then. But here, we'll teach them the hard-learned lesson that they shouldn't pick on us!"

The girls form grins, and the Kyo clones, still looking rather smug, ready themselves. Zan moves into a ready stance himself, and valiantly says to the enemies, "Your time is limited, no matter what. This base will be destroyed, and the Interdimensional Static will be purged. The question is whether you will survive or not." He suddenly lunges forward and grabs Kusanagi, causing him to flinch. Zan gives him an intimidating little smile, as he adds, "If you DO survive..." The Confidence Icon forms in Zan's cybernetic eye, and he finishes, "DO say 'hi' to Krizalid for me!" He blasts Kusanagi with a surge of Plasma that sends him flying back a short distance. He promptly leaps after him.

The Kyo clones launch themselves at the girls in a surprisingly swift approach that catches them by surprise. The instant they land, two to a person, they grab the girls who are on foot, and fling them to different areas of the training center. Only Chez Shay and Lyla avoid this, as being airborne allows them to fly out of the way of the dive-in from the Kyo clones. Some droids fly after the thrown girls, others turn their focus on the fliers. None bother Zan, for some reason.

Bella lands amidst a sparring platform on her rump and grunts. She flips to her feet just as the Kyo clones land close by. Two Attack Drones begin building charges, and a Blade Drone rushes at her for a slash that surprises her. She responds by Light Slashing the droid, damaging it, but yelps when a Dark Thrust attack also hits her and creates a blast that her barrier absorbs. She is then struck by the charged shots of the Attack Drones, and a Kyo clone flies in foot first to kick her in the head with a Fire-empowered leaping kick. Her cat-hat mewls fearfully, and she glowers, eyes narrowed. The second Kyo clone comes in for a flying punch, but yelps when she clamps her wrench onto his midsection and vaults him over herself. He crashes down on the Blade Drone, and cries out when the droid accidentally cuts him. He flips to his feet and looks at the minor flesh wound. Bella jolts and yelps when the first Kyo clone slams her with a Fire-empowered right hook, follows up with a backhand, then grabs her to lift her up. She promptly cracks him across the head with her wrench, and he drops her as he staggers back. The second Kyo clone leaps in and grabs her from behind, his arms under hers, and lifts her up. The two Attack Drones shoot at her from the side, and the first Kyo clone moves in to pummel her. She points a finger at him before he can start, and he screams when she creates a terribly bright flash of Light that blinds both him and the Kyo clone that was holding her up. She lifts herself up, shifting all of her weight onto the Kyo clone holding her, and kicks the Kyo clone in front of her, knocking him over. The one holding her falls over and grunts when she drops with him to end up sitting on his chest. She flips to her feet again, and slams her wrench down as hard as she can on the Kyo clone that had been holding her, making him bounce with a pained yelp. She swings around and sweeps her wrench as she fires a Light Blast Beam, the follow-up explosions damaging the surrounding objects and destroying the two Attack Drones. Several more droids move in in response to this to shoot at her all the more. She scatters swarms of Light orbs that explode in Light element blasts, taking down more droids. The Kyo clones climb to their feet, still blinded, and start swinging their fists at random, yelling in frustration. Bella backs up to avoid the attacks.

Teresa lands on her feet, but staggers backward uncontrollably, and runs against a mirrored wall. She looks over her shoulder at her reflection, then flinches when two Kyo clones land before her, and several Missile Drones gather around them. They all immediately fire their shots at her, and the Kyo clones repeatedly launch Dark Thrust attacks, all of them trying to blow away Teresa before she gets a chance to hit them with any tar attacks. She yelps only once just before the barrage, and they lose sight of her in the subsequent blasts, which lead up to a very large mushroom cloud explosion that they are forced to shield themselves from. Thinking they caused Teresa to explode, they wait in eager anticipation for the smoke to clear, to confirm this. When the smoke does clear, they find a shattered mirror and nothing else. The Kyo clones grin, believing they managed to wipe her out. Their pleasure collapses the next second when they see a frightening sight in the other mirrors: Teresa rising up slowly and ominously behind them, with a very haughty little smirk. They swing around, finding that they evidently completely missed in their efforts to destroy her, as she escaped with a Tar Portal, the entry pit itself being the source of the explosion. The Kyo clones promptly become nervous as they notice the tar oozing from her scepter's three creature skulls. The Missile Drones don't hesitate, however, and shoot at her with their missiles. She swings her scepter frantically, scattering tar out before her to intercept the projectiles, then gunk up the droids. The Kyo clones leap out of the way to avoid getting hit, jump to their feet, and cast more Dark Thrust attacks. The fire comes into contact with the gunked-up droids on the way toward Teresa, blowing them up and disrupting the initial ground-sliding flame bursts. She proceeds to create a Tar Pit in front of her to intercept these attacks as well. The pit promptly ignites, and she hits the floor to avoid the huge blast that follows. This ignites the tar on more of the droids, causing them to fly around wildly and crash into gymnasium equipment, the walls, and each other, all of them exploding. This produces a catastrophic chain reaction in which the series of blasts scatters burning debris and tar gunk all over that section of the gymnasium, quickly spreading fires from this spot throughout Teresa's particular area of the training center. A remarkably large fire burns intensely before the Kyo clones. They try to locate Teresa beyond the wall of fire, and see her stand up. She is unafraid of the fire, but the Kyo clones flinch when, for just a moment, Teresa's normally cute rabbit-ear like pigtails suddenly look more like demon-horns from their perspective. This terrifies them, and they try to resist the urge to flee. Teresa, looking no less cute than normal on the other side, casts a Bone Spear through the flames to strike one of the Kyo clones and injure him. To make their situation worse, three Uroktors pop out of Tar Holes amidst them, and attack them with beak stabs, causing them to yelp and try to fight back. Several more Missile Drones move in to attack Teresa in the mean time, and she responds by flinging tar at them as well. The fires spread to all tar Teresa casts, and the wildfire expands uncontrollably.

Bridgette gets thrown onto one of the raised platforms, rolls a short distance and nearly falls off the edge. A Kyo clone leaps onto her platform, while another lands on the next platform behind her, which is lower than her current one. She flips to her feet, and brandishes her scythe. She yelps when an Option Drone strikes her with a laser from an unexpected angle, and the Kyo clone behind her leaps up to hit her with a flying, flaming kick to the back, making her shout and staggering her toward the Kyo clone in front of her. He slams her with an uppercut that makes her snarl, and staggers her back toward the other Kyo clone. He goes to knee-slam her, but the instant he makes contact with her, he is electrocuted, and sparks burst off of Bridgette's body in all directions, damaging some of the surrounding droids. The Kyo clone in front of her flinches, and yelps when Bridgette, glowering, thrusts a hand to blast him with a Lightning bolt that nearly launches him off their platform. Four more Option Drones move in, blades ready, and strike her repeatedly with them. However, they too are electrocuted, and being droids, the Voltage severely damages them. She twirls around, scythe out-stretched, and strikes two of the droids, before the third parries the attack with its sword and gets electrocuted again. The fourth strikes her again, also jolting from the damage it too sustains as a result. The Kyo clone behind her leaps up and hits her in the back of the head with a flying punch, but once again is thrown off with electrocution. With a shriek, she raises her scythe, and strikes the platform with it, causing several Lightning bolts to strike down from above all around her, blowing up the lights in the ceiling directly above as they blast down the Option Drones. The electric bursts scatter Charged Bolts in every direction, some of which hit the Kyo clone in front of her. He shudders from the Voltage, and yelps when she leaps at him furiously. She slashes her scythe on him repeatedly for substantial injuries. She slashes him six times, then rears back, and swings her scythe with great force, creating a Plasma Sweep that sends the Kyo clone flying clean across the room. He crashes into, and shatters, a mirror wall, and goes unconscious, bleeding profusely. Bridgette turns to look at the Kyo clone behind her as he leaps onto the platform she is on, and a small spark of Voltage darts from her left eye out to the side, making him nervous. The fires Teresa has started, and then another shuddering of the base, makes the situation all the more fearful.

Kira curls up as she flies, her Ether Blob engulfing her to form a ball. When she hits the floor, she bounces off of it and ends up running against, and severely damaging, one of the mirrored walls. She comes to a stop amidst a number of weight-lifting gear, and moves to be floating upright at the top of her Ether Blob. Two Kyo clones land in front of her the next moment, and she folds her arms, giving them a stern look. They immediately take fighting stances, unfamiliar with Kira's particular talents. Several droids also crowd in and those with ranged attacks start shooting right away. She jolts and grunts as she gets pelted by energy jolts, missiles, lasers and bullets from the droid crowd. She growls in irritation, and has her Ether Blob grab a pair of circular weights from a stand next to her. It uses these weights to block the shots. The Kyo clones take this opportunity to leap at her for flying punches, striking her directly with their Fire-enhanced attacks and making her jolt again, teeth gritted in aggravation. The Ether Blob flings the circular weights like frisbees in response, but the Kyo clones avoid them with hard leans, and they instead obliterate a couple of the droids. The Kyo clones, however, don't immediately notice that, while they did hit her with their punches, their flames didn't take. They quickly follow up with a barrage of punches and kicks, but her Ether Blob reaches around them and pulls them into a crushing hug that they grunt from. She smirks as she has the Ether Blob throw them at the droids, scattering them in the process. The Kyo clones flip to their feet, and while one starts building Fire energy, the other casts a Dark Thrust attack. The moment it hits Kira, it fizzles out, and the Kyo clones blink. She breaks into a very arrogant laugh, as she lunges at them, Ether Blob's mighty arms outstretched. One Kyo clone leaps out of the way, the other casts his massive Flame Blast on her. The attack stops her lunge, but fails to actually blow her back like it normally would. The other Kyo clone leaps in, reaching for her, and grabs her before she has time to react. He lifts her up, and sends a surge of Fire energy through his arm to create an explosion on Kira. The moment it makes contact with her, it fizzles out as well, and the Kyo clone expresses complete confusion at this. Her Ether Blob promptly gut-checks him, knocking him back with a pained grunt, but Kira gets blasted by a series of lasers from Option Drones during this opening. Snarling, she suddenly grabs the Kyo clone that previously grabbed her, and swings him around at the Option Drones, sending them all flying. The first Kyo clone jumps around to avoid the human cudgel, getting behind Kira, and leaps onto her from behind. She snarls when he grabs her around the neck, and her Ether Blob, in response, reaches up, over and down to grab him from behind, pulling him off of her. It slams the two Kyo clones together, then flings them with great force, sending them both tumbling to smash into a rack of weights, which pour onto them and hurt them still more. Kira glares at them as they jump to their feet, wobbling slightly, clearly injured, but still going.

Chez Shay and The Beast swoop about to avoid weapons fire from the droids, and scatter rockets and missiles at them and everything else, quickly starting to spread damage to the training center too. The Beast yelps, however, when he is grabbed in mid-air by a leaping Kyo clone and brought to the ground, where the clone punches him repeatedly in the face. He grunts with each punch, until he manages to clamp his sharp teeth on the Kyo clone's fist. The guy yelps in pain. As Chez Shay flies about, she notices her reflection in the mirrors, and comes up close. She admires it, grins big to look at her teeth, then handles her breasts a little. She smirks approvingly, then yelps when the other Kyo clone flies in and manages to kick her clean off of her vacuum cleaner and to the floor below. She had forgotten to reactivate a Roll Card after the last one broke. She lands on her back, and the Kyo clone lands in front of her. He immediately notices the incredible sight before him however, as she lays there nude, legs spread apart and everything clearly visible. She flips to her feet, her breasts bouncing in the process, and gives him a terrifying grin. Then she notices that his eyes are aimed quite a bit lower than her face, and he has formed a strong blush. Her grin shifts into a crooked smirk, and she thrusts her Gunbrella at him, to blast him with several rockets and send him flying. She immediately comes under fire from the droids, and jumps forward to avoid their storm of shots. She takes out and activates a Decoy Card, creating a holographic image of her nude self, then jumps onto her vacuum cleaner again to fly away from the droids. The Option Drones are able to detect which Chez Shay is the real one, and reveal this to the other droids, resulting in all of them pursuing her. Her decoy, meanwhile, starts to walk toward the Kyo clone she blasted as he flips to his feet. The Beast hangs on to the other Kyo clone's fist, bitten in deeply, and the Kyo clone cries out in pain as he keeps punching The Beast with his free hand. The Beast creates a missile over his head, and blasts the Kyo clone in the face with it, sending him flying. With The Beast still hanging on. The other droids try to shoot at The Beast, but can't hit him as he flies with the Kyo clone, and he scatters missiles at them and everything else as he goes. The moment after the Kyo clone lands, he gets to his feet, only for The Beast to blast him again, sending him flying again. STILL with The Beast clamped on to his fist, and scattering missiles as they fly, damaging everything around them. The Kyo clone "attacking" Chez Shay notices her decoy approaching him with a sexy strut, and can't tell it's a decoy. His blush strengthens due to the swaying step of her nude form, and it intensifies still more when the decoy comes right up to him, grinning dangerously. She then takes a big step back, turns around, and sticks her bare backside at him. He stares intensely at her, mouth hanging open. She twirls back around, Gunbrella suddenly ready, and the real Chez Shay, having eluded the droids for the moment, descends behind him, her Gunbrella ready as well. He senses her, turns to look, then looks back and forth at the two nude Chez Shays. He can't do anything out of raw shock. He is filled with a mix of terror at knowing what is about to befall him, frustration at his inability to attack a nude and gorgeous girl, and overwhelming awe at the sight of female nudity, something few Kyo clones get to see. In the mean time, The Beast continues to launch his opponent around violently, while spreading more damage to the training center.

Lyla yelps and whimpers as she flies around, desperately avoiding the shots of the droids, and squeals when the two Kyo clones land on her flying carpet. She squeals again when they both throw kicks to strike her in the head, and break her Roll Card. She tries to resist panicking as she fearfully thrusts her Tambourines to scatter wood bolts and barrage the Kyo clone in front of her, while Sasha whimpers at the Kyo clone behind them. He grabs Sasha, and she shrieks. She flinches when he gives her a look-over with an odd expression, then rubs her oil lamp, as though he were rubbing a genie lamp to summon the genie. She watches him do it, and when nothing happens, as expected, they give each other disdainful huffs. She promptly pops him in the face with a bomb. He releases her in reaction, getting knocked off of Lyla's carpet. The Kyo clone in front is forced to back up, shielding himself with his arms. He yelps when his heel goes over the edge of the carpet and he promptly falls off as well. Sasha immediately activates her projectile-slowing field again, to halt the storm of droid shots coming Lyla's way, and Lyla activates the one Fire Bomb Card she had on hand. She releases the huge flaming projectile, which blows away several of the droids, and catches a different section of the training center on fire. She points her Tambourines at the Kyo clone on the floor in front of her, and he yelps, getting to his feet to scramble out of the way when she releases a second giant Fireball. On impact with the ground, it creates a blast that sends the Kyo clone flying anyway, launching him forward and hitting his head against the frame of a raised platform. Lyla turns around and fires a third Fireball at the second Kyo clone, and he can't get out of the way in time before the blast sends him flying. The Fire Bomb Card promptly wears out, and Lyla immediately activates a Roll Card. She moves to get out of the path of the slowed projectiles when Sasha ends the barrier field. Lyla starts spraying shots at the droids and Kyo clones, and backs away from them all to keep them from boarding her carpet again. They chase after her, the men shielding themselves with their arms.

Kusanagi instantly flips to his feet, and leaps at Zan with a flying kick to interrupt Zan's leaping approach. Zan grabs Kusanagi in mid-air, rolls, and slams him to the ground. Kusanagi rolls out of the way when Zan drops feet-first to hit the ground with a Plasma bursting stamp. Kusanagi jumps to his feet, twirls around, and throws a flying, Fire-empowered kick that strikes Zan and staggers him back. Zan punches a fist into a hand, his Plasma Cells glowing with energy, and he fires out a big Plasma Orb. Kusanagi leaps to avoid it, but it turns with his leap and strikes him anyway, knocking him over. He yelps, "GUH! Oh CRAP, you really DID get your junk back, didn't you?! That's CHEAP!" He jumps to his feet, glowering fiercely.

Zan just keeps his cool as usual, contrasting to the fiery Kusanagi, and comments, "At least I'm still coming at you with my fists." He lunges at Kusanagi, fist drawn back to strike.

Kusanagi responds angrily, lunging at Zan too, and intercepts his punch by grabbing him, flipping him over and to the ground, where he follows up with a downward-angled punch toward the ground that discharges a powerful blast of flame. Zan is sent flying, but flips mid-flight to land on his feet, slides a short distance, then springs at Kusanagi super-quickly, feet first. Kusanagi only has time to yelp before he is drop-kicked with an immediate Plasma blast that sends him flying back against a mirrored wall and cracking it. He steps forward, a shard of mirror stuck in his back, and snarls loudly as he surges with Fire energy, which plumes up all around him. Zan hunches down to brace for what may be coming. Kusanagi yanks out the mirror shard, and flings it at Zan. He smacks the bit away, only to find Kusanagi flying at him. He lays into him with a series of powerful and rapid, Fire-empowered punches that Zan's barrier manages to absorb, but he still jolts and grunts from the hits. At the end of the chain, Kusanagi rears back hard, and Zan only has time to look, before Kusanagi, yelling ferociously, throws forward a mighty punch that creates an enormous explosion of flame. Zan careens back into the frame of a platform, breaking the frame and partially collapsing the platform. Kusanagi leaps at him, still snarling, but Zan casts forth a Tractor Beam that latches on to Kusanagi, and with a yank, slams him down and to the side on the floor. He rolls, and jumps to his feet, very angry. Zan climbs to his feet, keeping calm, while Kusanagi just yells in rage, punching a fist into a hand to create a flame burst. His rage is interrupted when a very loud explosion from beyond a wall in the gymnasium is heard, and the entire area shakes hard for an instant.

A huge bulge forms in one of the walls of the training center, all of the mirrors on that wall shatter, and all of the lights flicker violently. Everyone becomes distracted by this. The next moment, the wall explodes, sending debris, exercise equipment and parts flying into the room, one of which strikes one of the Kyo clones attacking Lyla and knocking him over. In barges the Abyssal Lagiacrus, and it snarls, causing the Kyo clones to start hollering in fright. The Lagiacrus rampages forward and demolishes all of the central platforming. Bridgette falls with a yelp, and lands in a sitting position on the Lagiacrus' head, while the Kyo clone she was fighting gets catapulted when one of the platforms tilts suddenly. The Abyssal Lagiacrus doesn't really notice Bridgette on its head, as it starts building a charge of Voltage. All of the droids in the chamber begin to tremble and spark, and stop attacking everyone. Bridgette is briefly stunned by the sudden situation change. Then she notices the creature's charge of Voltage, which is surging into her body. While this would normally be deadly, her affinity to the Voltage element prevents any harm, and instead converts it into a rather pleasurable sensation. It also makes her hair bristle up. With the electric energy buzzing into her through her seat, a rather sensitive area, she quickly forms a blush. She responds by scrambling to her feet, and springs off of the creature before any more electricity can flow into her from the nether regions of her body. The Abyssal Lagiacrus then releases a massive blast of Voltage into the area, and instantly brings down all of the droids with a single discharge, including the Shield Drones blocking the doorway. All of the Kyo clones are harmed by the Voltage as well. In addition, all of the electronic devices in the training center explode, and the lights flicker very erratically. The massive creature next turns its focus on the two Kyo clones attacking Kira, and snarls. One of them has grabbed her by the chest of her suit, the other is in the middle of readying to punch her. They stopped in mid-action when the creature arrived, and are staring at it. It narrows its glowing eyes, the Kyo clones' swallow hard, their pupils shrunk in horror, and Kira forms a huge grin. The giant creature lunges at them with astonishing speed. They scream, and one gets smashed off to the side with a swipe from the Lagiacrus' large, clawed forearm. The creature fires a massive ball of electricity immediately after, creating a huge blast that sends the Kyo clone flying even farther. He slams, upside down, into a mirrored wall, shattering it, as he crackles with electricity and collapses. The other Kyo clone yelps in terror, turns to run, and screams when the Lagiacrus snaps him up into its jaws. He screams again as he gets electrocuted, and with a flick of the head, the creature slings him across the room. Where he crashes down, he stays, wiped out. The Abyssal Lagiacrus lowers its humongous head to look closely with one eye at Kira, who is ridiculously tiny by comparison. She hides her appreciation of the Guardian creature's support with a fussy huff and a fold of her arms, as she grumps, "Nice. Real nice. I could have handled them myself you know."

The monstrous creature snorts, as if in skepticism. Kira flinches when the huge creature gently touches the side of her head with its comparatively gigantic muzzle, in an admittedly cute gesture of affection. She swats at it in reaction. It snorts again, this time in what is clearly amusement. It then turns and charges forward toward a wall. It builds Voltage as it goes, and dashes forward suddenly to ram clean through the wall, leaving a giant, gaping, sparking hole behind, and shaking the entire chamber in the process. A light unit breaks free of the ceiling and crashes to the floor in the wake of the resulting tremor.

With the training center in shambles, and all of their droid support lost, the morale of the Kyo clones dips instantly. The girls and Zan promptly take advantage of this. Zan lunges at Kusanagi as he stares in horror at the Abyssal Lagiacrus while it is thrashing the Kyo clones. Kusanagi yelps when Zan strikes him in the back with a flying punch. When he swings around, Zan uppercuts him to send him flying straight up, and Zan fires a series of Plasma Orbs that strike him for more damage. With a snarl, he forces himself into a dive at Zan, and throws a powerful flaming punch. Zan clashes with this attack by throwing his own powerful Plasma punch, and a small blast is created that forces the two to jump back. When Kusanagi lands, he swipes a hand in anger, casting off some fire, and he curses, "DAMN you and your pet giant monsters! I KNEW we should have brought some of our own!"

Hearing this unnerves Zan, but he says nothing. Kusanagi barrels toward him, and Zan pulls back to punch. Kusanagi suddenly drops into a baseball slide, and Zan is flipped through the air, making a surprised gasp, where Kusanagi shoves his fist into Zan's gut. His barrier takes this hit like all the rest, but he is still tossed straight up to the ceiling. To Kusanagi's surprise, Zan clings to the ceiling, his fingers getting a hooked grip on it. Kusanagi grabs a barbell, and flings it at Zan, who kicks it right back, and smack into Kusanagi's face. He falls flat on his back and yells out in great pain. Zan drops to the floor the next moment, producing a loud thud, and Kusanagi jumps to his feet, blood coming from his nose and mouth. He grits his teeth in fury, showing that some of them have been cracked, and for just a brief moment, Zan winces in sight of the clearly very painful damage Kusanagi has sustained. Zan then adjusts his composure, the Determination Icon glowing in his cybernetic eye.

Bella's opponents have just regained their sight, when she clocks one across the head with her wrench, staggering him. She grabs him with it, builds up a charge of Light, and sends him flying back with the shot. She releases a Cat Bullet after him, then gets kicked in the side by the other Kyo clone. She swipes a hand to Light Slash him. The downed Kyo clone cannot react in time, being pelted by the shots of the Cat Bullet, before the core projectile hits him with a burst that sends him flying through the debris he had crashed against. He disappears amidst the rubble. Bella grabs the remaining Kyo clone with her wrench again. He grabs the wrench too, but she twists it hard, slamming him to the ground. She raises it above her head, twirling it, and scattering Light orbs and sweeping Light beams as she does, inflicting further damage on the training center. It shudders suddenly from damage being inflicted elsewhere in the base. She finishes the twirl by swinging the wrench down hard, bringing down a Light Blast Beam on the Kyo clone that hits for continuous damage. When it ends, it finishes with a blast that sends him straight up into the ceiling, where he disappears. Bella looks over, and sees Teresa finishing her opponents off as well.

Distracted by the mayhem of the Abyssal Lagiacrus, the Kyo clones facing Teresa are unable to act due to the Uroktors having clamped onto their limbs. Teresa jumps on her GravBoard and moves over the Kyo clones. She focuses her Death energy, and hits them with Cripple. They are immediately floored by the Uroktors, who proceed to swing them around and slam them against the floor, debris, and each other. They grunt in great pain as they get ragdolled. One of the Uroktors flings the Kyo clone it has a grip on, and he flops and bounces to a stop a short distance away. He lays there, still under the Cripple curse, and unable to do anything. Teresa drops a Tar Blob on his chest, pinning him down, and he whimpers. She leaves him alone after this however, and watches as the Uroktors flail the remaining Kyo clone around. She observes with dark amusement, as the Uroktors treat the Kyo clone like a chew toy. This also shows how tough the men actually are though, as any ordinary person would have already been dismembered by the rough treatment. Eventually, Teresa flies down to the Uroktors, and with an easing gesture, gets them to settle down and release the Kyo clone. They leave the area, and the Kyo clone doesn't bother to get up. Teresa smirks, looks at Bella, and the two grin.

Bridgette, still blushing from the electric stimulation, rushes toward the remaining Kyo clone, raising her scythe. She focuses all of the Voltage the Lagiacrus unintentionally filled her with, and creates a huge blade of Volt energy around her scythe, tripling its size. The Kyo clone, feeling desperate, leaps at her for a flying kick, but she swings the blade to strike him mid-leap. He screams as the electricity surges through him, and sends him flying like a bullet across the room, leaving sparks in his flight path. Bridgette stops, panting, her blush subsiding somewhat, and she waits to see if the Kyo clone gets up. When he does not, she sighs, feeling somewhat jittery from the remnant of extra Voltage in her body.

With nothing to fight, Kira bounds toward the Kyo clones attacking Lyla. She continues to fly away from them as they leap at her for flying kicks. Sasha releases a bomb, striking one to stop his leap attack, and Kira flies in to snatch the other out of the air, slamming him to the ground the next instant. Sasha releases another bomb, that hits the first Kyo clone when be becomes distracted by Kira's sudden attack, and he falls over instantly. Kira grabs him too, and slams the two of them together twice, releasing them afterward. They stagger to their feet, and yelp when Lyla pelts them with more wood bolts. Kira lifts a leg, and her Ether Blob mimics this with a huge, booted, muscular leg. She kicks forward, and the Ether Blob shoves the huge boot against both Kyo clones, sending them straight back and against a wall. One is knocked out, the other just barely manages to get to his feet. Sasha floats in front of him, and he throws a weak punch at her that clips her shell and makes her spin rapidly and squeal continuously. So greatly weakened by the punishing attacks, the Kyo clone becomes mesmerized by the spinning oil lamp turtle, and she releases a bomb at just the right moment to pop him in the torso. The blast hefts him up against the wall a little more, and renders him unconscious. He slowly slides down into a sitting position. Kira belts out a laugh, and Lyla sighs in relief.

The Kyo clone with The Beast clamped on his fist is in great pain by this point. He staggers to his feet, and sees The Beast create another missile. He closes his eyes, and gets blasted by the missile. This time, however, The Beast finally releases him, and he goes flying away, defeated. The Beast looks over, seeing the two nude Chez Shays still pointing their Gunbrellas at the Kyo clone between them. He yells in pain when he is blasted from both sides by the explosive projectiles. When the blasts clear, he slumps to the floor, resulting in a quick and easy win for Chez Shay's skirmish. Her decoy momentarily disperses, and she grins at The Beast, who grins right back. He notices though when a shiver rolls through Chez Shay's nude body. She herself doesn't actually notice this, as she becomes more interested in watching Zan, still fighting Kusanagi.

The girls in general gravitate toward the fight between the two men. Zan maintains a stern composure, contrasting Kusanagi, who seethes and burns with raging Fire energy. The two lunge toward each other. They both throw punches that clash, and jump back from the follow-up blasts. The girls grin. They both lunge forward again and throw kicks, with the same result. The girls blink. They jump back, and Kusanagi thrusts a fist to release a Fireball. Zan smacks the shot aside, and flinches when Kusanagi leaps in to nail Zan in the head with a flying kick. The girls frown, but then cheer when Zan grabs Kusanagi by the leg, swings him over himself and slams him to the floor. Zan raises his hands high, creating a huge ball of Plasma, and slams it down, creating a blast that sends Kusanagi flying straight up. Zan leaps after him, and the two exchange a series of punches and kicks, which connect, clash, get parried, or miss. Zan finishes the mid-air brawl with a powerful Plasma-blast-producing knee-slam that sends Kusanagi flying against a wall beside the doorway. He grunts in pain, spitting some blood, and a tooth bit, out of his mouth, and everyone moves toward him. He staggers to his feet, runs an arm across his mouth to wipe away blood, and furiously complains, "UN-FRICKIN'-BELIEVABLE! Why the HELL can't I beat you, man?!"

Teresa puts her arms akimbo again, as she taunts, "My master's just too strong for you, loser!"

Kusanagi shakes his flaming fists and swipes a hand to the side as he snarls, "Don't give me that crap you wimpy tar-chucker! I'm JUST as strong, if not stronger!"

Zan folds his arms for the moment, giving Kusanagi a look of consideration. He says, "Perhaps, but your strength is misplaced. You focus the purpose of your strength into brutality. I HAVE to be strong, to protect and serve my companions. To care for everyone." He notices when the girls give him admiring looks, and smiles softly.

Kusanagi just gestures angrily as he spits, "More crap!" He readies to attack again, alerting Zan, and chastises, "You think you're something special, don't you? Mister bigshot with that harem of hot chicks following you around!" He lunges at Zan suddenly, fists aflame.

Chez Shay leans back on her vacuum cleaner, snickering, and remarks, "That's what I said!" The Beast cups his mouth with his paws to project his voice as he hollers, "SOOO JEALOUS!" He snickers afterward.

Zan is roiled by this words, parries the initial attack, and responds, "Prime, they're NOT a HAREM, already! Entourage! ENTOURAGE! My friends-" He is smashed and interrupted by a second flaming punch that hits his jaw, from Kusanagi, who grins big as he mocks, "Oh HEY! I managed to find a hot-button in that-" HE is interrupted when the entire base shudders extremely violently, nearly toppling everyone, and yelps, "WOAH!"

Debris collapses further, a couple sections of the chamber's ceiling collapse, and the lights dim for a moment. The alarm that has been going on in the background the entire time changes type again, this time to one that clearly indicates severe urgency, and Kusanagi's demeanor changes. He becomes distracted for a moment, and Zan springs upon this opening, jumping back and firing out a Tractor Beam at the same time. Kusanagi yelps when he is yanked toward Zan, who slams Kusanagi in the face with his fist, sending him flying back out to the maximum range of the Tractor Beam with blood drops and a couple teeth following after as they fall to the floor. Zan yanks him back again, but in an arch overhead this time to slam him into the ground behind him. When Kusanagi bounces upon impact, Zan yanks him back toward himself, and performs a flip-kick that sends Kusanagi flying straight up. Zan aims his free hand and fires a salvo of Plasma Orbs, all of which strike Kusanagi. Zan once again yanks him so that he hits the floor beside Zan and goes flying back the other way again, the Tractor Beam shutting off. Kusanagi hits the wall he had already hit before, intensifying the dent already placed in it. He very quickly scrambles to his feet, blood flowing from several points and staining his outfit. He painfully and angrily yells, "AAAUUUGH! Forget it! This is like fighting my own bosses or something! Frickin' FORGET IT! I'm DONE!"

He turns, and darts out of the training center. Zan eases up a bit when Kusanagi aborts. He moves to rejoin the girls, who all give him admiring looks. He gives them a brief lookover, and just rubs the back of his head as he meekly says, "Entourage, ok?"

Teresa forms a very cute smile, and replies, "Yes, master."

Bridgette gently takes his arm as she gives him a loving look, and consoles, "These people just don't know you like we do, ok?"

He looks off to the side with a sigh, and responds, "I know..."

Chez Shay, still nude, looks down at her bare body, and runs her hands up the sides of it as she seductively comments, "Well, if you ever DO need a harem, I volunteer."

Kira just rolls her eyes, quickly responding, "Of course you do."

The Beast rests a paw claw on his chin in consideration as he bluntly asks Chez Shay, "GETTIN' COLD YET?" She gives him a strange look, not sure what he means.

Bella realizes something, darts over to the door and looks out it. She looks back at the group the next moment and shouts, "Kusanagi's getting away! After him already!" With yells of acknowledgement, they charge after Kusanagi, and out of the ruined and burning gymnasium.

The moment they exit back into the corridor, the base shudders again, and there are red lights flashing all along the corridor. That is, but for the ones broken by the Acklay's rampage. They see Kusanagi speeding down the hallway, and bolt after him, with Bella, Zan, and Bridgette running; Teresa, Chez Shay, The Beast, Lyla and Sasha gliding, and Kira using her Ether Blob to roll like a big ball while she remains perpetually half-submerged atop it. Kusanagi hears them giving chase, grits his damaged teeth, and picks up the pace, turning a corner. They follow after him, taking note of the fact this entire corridor has been ruined by the Amethyst Acklay. That is, until they run by an enormous hole in the wall. Then the crystalline carnage trail suddenly stops. Kusanagi barges through a door, and they follow after him through it. They find this corridor completely undamaged, so Chez Shay and The Beast start firing rockets and missiles at the walls themselves, wreaking havoc that inspires the others to join them. Bella fires her wrench's Light Blast Beams. Bridgette runs with her scythe slashing into the wall. Teresa creates the occasional Tar Pit behind them that Chez Shay obliges to drop a hand grenade into, inflicting massive damage. Kira is amused, but keeps her eyes fixed on chasing Kusanagi, and Lyla really would prefer to not make such a mess, though she doesn't object out loud. After a few moments of pursuit, they spot an undamaged terminal on a wall, flashing a transmission. Zan runs a scan on it as they pass it by. He finishes the scan in seconds, and says, "Ah, an evacuation order has been given throughout the base."

The group yelps when three Option Drones rush them with swords ready. Lyla immediately opens fire with her Tambourines, pelting the droids amidst their own attacks, willing to attack enemies, doing so out of self-defense. Bridgette swings her scythe to clash with one of the droids, and because it is airborne, she ends up carrying it as she runs. She complains, "Obviously that order doesn't extend to the droids here!"

Zan flings some Plasma Orbs at the droids to damage them, and remarks, "Evidently the Guardians are doing a lot more damage a lot faster than we expected."

Kira grabs another droid mid-slash with her Ether Blob while she moves forward, and exclaims with a grin, "Like I said, they take 'destroy everything' quite seriously!" She slams the droid into the wall as she goes, leaving it stuck and broken.

Zan comments as he runs, "According to the order, the evacuation point is the Interdimensional Static itself. They're using it like an active portal system. They have no idea how dangerous that is, no matter HOW good they may be at controlling it..."

Chez Shay demolishes the third droid with her rockets, and with a breast-bouncing thrust of a fist, exclaims, "Let's get down there then, and wipe it out!"

Bella runs with everyone while wielding her wrench to sweep Light Blast Beams at the walls around them. She shakes her head at Chez Shay and replies, "There's no need. Right Zan?" When she looks at him, he nods, and she continues, "You said that when this base blows up, the Static will go up with it. All we need to do is keep inflicting damage along with our Guardians, until the time seems right to evacuate ourselves!"

Chez Shay narrows an eye, resting her Gunbrella on her shoulder for a moment, and points out, "What, you telling me all that damage we've just now done isn't enough?" She thumbs back with her free hand to the demolished corridor behind them. The Beast grins with pride over the damage, and exclaims, "SLAMMIN'!"

Bridgette twists her scythe to override the clash, and strikes the remaining droid with a Plasma Bolt, destroying it. The group never stops running, and can still see Kusanagi racing onward. They maintain their pursuit, and continue their wake of chaotic demolition of the corridor.

They see ahead of them a "T" intersection, and Kusanagi swings around into the turn. They rush after him, but the moment they turn the corner, Glaugan pounces forward and nails Teresa. She screams as she is knocked to her back, and the group yelps, skidding to a stop. The base shudders violently from a muffled, but nearby explosion. Kusanagi escapes around another corner in the distance. Teresa screams again when Glaugan clamps his jaws onto her neck, but her barrier withstands this. Teresa's screams pierce into Zan's heart, stinging something sensitive, and he yells in sudden anger as he lunges at Glaugan and kicks the big animal. The Beast quickly swoops in to blast the lion with a missile to the head, and Kira's Ether Blob throws a powerful punch. These attacks knock Glaugan off of Teresa, who jumps to her feet and throws herself against Zan in fear. He holds her firm, and glares at the lion with the Anger Icon. The group blinks when Bella promptly gets down on her knees to be face-to-face with the great black animal, causing it to flinch. She gently says, "Hello again, beautiful kitty. Do you remember me? My name's Bella Chimes. Would you like to be my friend?" Her cat-hat wiggles a little.

Glaugan snorts, causing Bella to frown sadly, and she responds, "Aw, don't be like that, you lovely lion you. I would love to have you as a friend. I mean that! You're such a pretty kitty..." She gently touches the lion's muzzle, and her cat-hat mewls cutely.

Chez Shay stares in astonishment, and wryly mutters, "...And I thought I was insane..."

Bella twitches, blurts at Chez Shay from over her shoulder, "Quiet!" then faces Glaugan again, still touching his facial fur. She kindly pleads, "Please consider it... Please be my friend..." Her cat-hat mewls again, as if trying to help coax the creature to their side. "I'll treat you very nicely, compared to that evil jerk of a boss you already belong to," Bella finishes.

It becomes clear at this point, however, that Glaugan considers that "evil jerk of a boss" to be his one true master. This comment helps Glaugan finally manage to overcome Bella's sincere efforts to charm him. With a very swift strike, Glaugan smashes a clawed paw against Bella's head, sending her flying back toward the wall of the "T" intersection. She bounces thrice, her cat-hat squealing in fright as she lets out a horrible little scream, and she comes to a stop on her rump. She sits there, staring in utter shock and possible horror. Tears quickly well up in her eyes. She immediately after starts bawling like a little girl. "I WANTED TO BE YOUR FRIEND! I REALLY DID!" she wails, crying terribly.

Kira's face crumples into a terrifying snarl, and she descends into seething as she hisses, "Ok, NOW I'm pissed."

Chez Shay's eye twitches, and she quietly growls, "You thought I was scary when I was crazy?" Her eye twitches again, and she roars, "YOU SHOULD SEE ME ANGRY!"

The Beast has very sharp frown, and forms several missiles around himself as he angrily comments, "UNCOOL, CAT... VERY UNCOOL..."

Zan's cybernetic eye has upgraded to the Rage Icon as he bellows, "How DARE you! She was being SINCERE!"

Lyla is horrified as she yelps, "How HORRIBLE!" Sasha is appalled as she yelps, "How CRUEL!"

Teresa lets go of Zan, pigtails bristling in anger, as she snaps, "Nobody does that to my best friend!"

Bridgette crackles with furious electricity as she shrieks, "I'm gonna SKIN YOU for that!"

The group is instantly upon Glaugan, terrorizing him with such sudden ferocity. Zan kicks him in the flank with a Plasma-blast. Teresa strikes him with a Bone Spear. Chez Shay and The Beast blast him with a volley of rockets and missiles. Teresa hits him with a Bone Spear. Bridgette swings her scythe with a loud snarl, reaping a Plasma Sweep across him. Teresa pierces him with a Bone Spear. Kira leaps in and smashes her Ether Blob's two huge fists straight down on his head. Teresa nails him with a Bone Spear. Lyla sprays him with wood bolts. Teresa stabs him with a Bone Spear. Sasha pops him with a bomb. Bella continues to cry, but has begun to calm down already. Glaugan yowls in agony when the group lays into him, and can do nothing but try to scramble away, turning to flee down the straight path, rather than the side path Kusanagi took. Kira grabs him by his tail, but he manages to yank it free, losing a big chunk of fur in the process, and he gets blasted from behind by a Bone Spear from Teresa. The group charges after him, Zan scooping Bella into his arms as he darts past her. He carries her, running after the evil animal, his cybernetic eye downgraded back to Anger Icon, and he gently checks on her, "Bella, are you ok?"

She still has a few tears in her slightly reddened eyes, and whimpers, "Yes... *sniff* I'm ok... *sniffle* What a horrible animal..."

He gives her a tender look, and comments, "I'm afraid his loyalty is too great for you to sway..." His cybernetic eye's Icon shifts to Compassion, as he softly states, "I'm sorry, Bella, but that cat's not going to be your friend."

She rubs her eyes as he carries her, and with a sad nod, acknowledges, "I can tell that now, Zan... Such a beautiful kitty... Clearly his beauty is only fur-deep."

They keep chasing Glaugan, who could normally move quite a bit faster than Kusanagi, if not for the tremendous amount of damage the group inflicted upon him from that vengeful assault. They relentlessly pursue him through the hallways, Teresa, Bridgette, Chez Shay and The Beast flinging additional shots that occasionally hit him, also damaging the corridors as they go.

Glaugan pants in pain, turns a few corners, galloping with a gimp, unable to get completely away from the group. They round the corner to keep pursuing him. Teresa's Tar Agnaktor smashes out of the left wall, nailing Glaugan, and smashing through the right wall with him, all within the span of half a second in a blast that nearly topples everyone and causes them to yelp. Chez Shay and The Beast instantly bust out laughing, likely in instinctive reaction to the absolute suddenness of this. The Beast howls hilariously, "THAT WAS ALL HORROR-MOVIE-STYLE, YO!"

Teresa starts laughing a moment after, and the others form approving looks, when they finally manage to comprehend what just happened. Several Uroktors follow after the Tar Agnaktor, one of them stopping to look at the group. It claps its beak once, then resumes following. The group heads over and looks inside the enormous hole that was made in the right wall, finding themselves peering into a very large armory room. The floor around the hole in the wall is covered in broken guns and parts. Glaugan is currently on his back, gunked in tar, clearly terrified, slashing at the Tar Agnaktor, and rolling around to desperately avoid the massive creature's beak stabs. Zan sets Bella down, and the group hops over the gap between walls to charge into the armory themselves.

The moment they enter, they spot another dozen Kyo clones, clustered near a few of the many gun cases and racks on the opposite side of the room from the Tar Agnaktor. They are staring in horror at the attacking monster, and yelp and holler when Bella's group barges in. The group notices the Kyo clones as well, and the fact that they are all arming themselves with guns. Kira becomes astonished, and exclaims, "Looks like we forced them across a threshold! They're resorting to using guns!"

The Kyo clones ready their guns, and four Option Drones amidst them also ready themselves. Zan, however, smirks, the Confidence Icon forming in his cybernetic eye, and he quietly remarks, "Unfortunately for them..." He takes out his Pulse Rifle, and finishes, "We're armed and ready too." He gives the girls a grin, which they return.

This prompts the Kyo clones and Option Drones to open fire, their guns mostly using kinetic projectiles like bullets. The group immediately ducks behind the cover of gun cases, shelves and racks. Bella takes out her Compression Phaser Rifle. Kira withdraws her Ether Blob and takes out her FN-P90. Lyla and Chez Shay quickly reactivate Roll Cards, knowing that classic guns are deadly, even for Chez Shay. Teresa and Bridgette just take cover. When the Kyo clones stop to reload or look for targets, Zan, Bella, Kira, Chez Shay, The Beast and Lyla all jump out and return fire with their own guns, missiles, and Tambourines, frightening the Kyo clones. Bella's rifle, firing in burst mode, strikes one of the Option Drones and damages it, while the blasts from Chez Shay's rockets and The Beast's missiles damage the surroundings and send racks and cases flying. The Kyo clones duck under cover, though one gets shot through the shoulder by Kira and cries out.

During this, Bridgette notices that the guns on the racks she and Bella's group are using as cover are just as accessible as the ones the Kyo clones had grabbed. Reaching up quickly, she snags an assault rifle, and gives it a quick checkover. Finding it loaded, she readies it, and joins the group in the firefight, surprising Teresa and causing her to look for weapons too. Bridgette gives Zan a look requesting confirmation during this, which Teresa observes. He nods, prompting Teresa to arm herself, too, with a pair of handguns hanging in the case she is hiding behind. The Kyo clones return fire, dropping behind cover whenever they need, and the armory turns into a field of battle, the crossfire tearing apart any objects that may be caught in it. Seeing Bridgette and Teresa join the fight, Chez Shay grins, and she dives toward a gun rack to snatch up a machine gun. The Kyo clones become frightened when she aims it, while swerving around sideways to avoid their shots, and starts firing both her Gunbrella's rockets and the machine gun. Another Option Drone is struck by The Beast's missiles, and this one blows up, knocking a Kyo clone out from behind his cover, where he is shot dead by Bridgette.

Teresa jumps up to fire the hand guns, getting off a few shots before she is shot herself, and yelps, ducking behind the gun case to hide. She checks herself, then remembers that her Contour Barrier absorbs hits, and sighs in relief. At least until she shrieks in fright when some shots from over her head shatter the glass of the case she is using for cover, though the frame remains solid. Zan strikes a case of explosive ordinance, sending two Kyo clones flying across the room and knocking them out. He promptly gets shot by an Option Drone. Lyla's wood bolts are pummeling all of the Kyo clones and throwing off their aim. She swerves around erratically to avoid being shot too, and is very nervous. Bridgette empties her gun, and looks for some ammo clips. After finding one, she reloads, and opens fire again, striking another Kyo clone in the side and taking him down. Kira yelps when she is shot by the Kyo clones, and ducks to sit with her back against her cover. She notices a large case that is closed, and wonders what is inside. She shoots the case hatch, and peers in. A big grin forms on her face.

The Option Drones and Kyo clones continue shooting at the group, and Bella blasts the damaged Option Drone she had hit once before, destroying it, leaving only two remaining. Chez Shay and The Beast barrage the Kyo clones' cover with explosive projectiles, and her machine gun rips through one of the Kyo clones, toppling him and frightening his allies. The machine gun shortly runs out of ammo, and Chez Shay looks at it in annoyance. She gets shot during this moment of distraction, and loses her Roll Card. She yelps in anger, chucks the machine gun at the Kyo clones, and darts behind the cover Zan is using for a moment. Zan, for his part keeps shooting. However, everyone hears Kira cackle, and when they look, they see that she is now armed with THREE rocket launchers.

Her little hands can barely handle the one she is carrying, but her Ether Blob is holding one to each hand, and they're all armed and ready. The Kyo clones freak out and start focusing their fire on Kira. Chez Shay busts out laughing, and she and The Beast move to support Kira as she starts firing the launchers, which fire one shot at a time and can only fire two shots before requiring a reload. The Kyo clones scramble to avoid the incoming ballistics. Teresa and Bridgette dump their guns and rush over to Kira as well, to help her reload her weapons, which proves difficult due to her small size and their great weight. The rockets scream at the Kyo clones and explode, destroying the cover two of them were using, and another rocket sends the two flying, wiped out. The Option Drones move to shoot at Kira as well, getting a few absorbed shots in before Bella and Zan strike one of them with their guns to destroy it.

Kira fires another volley amidst Chez Shay's and The Beast's own, and the ensuing blasts send one Kyo clone screaming as he flies into a glass gun case, that shatters on impact. The remaining Kyo clones frantically shoot at the group, and Sasha finally decides she's had enough. She moves between the groups and activates her projectile-slowing field, preventing the Kyo clones' shots from reaching them. The Option Drone immediately switches to sword option and rushes toward Sasha, while the Kyo clones dump their guns and run toward the group in a last ditch effort. Kira fires her rockets. The blasts send the last of the Kyo clones flying through the air to crash onto objects, where they black out. The Option Drone reaches Sasha, prompting her to abort her projectile-slowing field and pop the droid unexpectedly in the face with a bomb, destroying it, and rendering the armory secured. Almost.

The Tar Agnaktor and Glaugan had been fighting this entire time, and the situation quickly turns dire for the heartless lion. The Tar Agnaktor clamps its jaws on Glaugan, who slashes frantically with all four paws of claws, striking the Agnaktor's muzzle repeatedly. The Agnaktor flings him to slam against a wall, scattering guns and other items, and Glaugan flops to the floor. He flips up, and leaps at the Agnaktor's head to slash at his face, but the Agnaktor swings his vertically-flattened beak sideways to smack Glaugan and send him flying into another wall, scattering more items. Glaugan charges forward out of the mess and leaps onto the Agnaktor's back, where he bites into one of the creature's back spines. He promptly ends up with his face covered in tar, and realizes he now can't breathe. He gets tackled by a leaping Uroktor and knocked off of the Agnaktor. He struggles to get the tar off of his face, and is snapped onto by three of the Uroktors. He roars, biting one of them, but the Uroktor bites him right back, and the Agnaktor blasts Glaugan with a napalm burst, setting the tar on him on fire. He beats the fire down with his own paws, forced to hit himself in the process, and backs away, shivering from pain and injury, an absolute wreck. The Tar Agnaktor glares at him, the Uroktor's snap their beaks menacingly, and Glaugan turns to flee again, out of the hole the Tar Agnaktor made. His running is greatly hampered now by the severe wounds he has sustained, and it is a testament to his strength that he can run at all.

Seeing that the entire armory is secured, the group shudders when the base does from a distant blast. The alarm is still going in the background. The Tar Agnaktor lumbers up to the group, and lowers its massive-by-comparison head to look closely at Teresa. She smiles proudly, and commends, "You're doing an amazing job! Did you attack that lion because he attacked me?"

The Tar Agnaktor's expression changes in such a way to reveal that the answer is "yes", and Teresa affectionately pets its huge beak, with an appreciative little smile. She more gently says, "I'm still ok. I have my Contour Barrier, remember? Don't worry about me. I will admit that it frightened me, but I'm more angry at it than anything because it hurt Bella's feelings. Good job!" She pats its beak once more.

Kira looks around at the wrecked armory, at the guns scattered across the floor, and inquires, "Zan, what should we do here?"

Bridgette gestures around as she responds, "Violet would go completely bonkers if we came back with a load of weapons like this!"

Zan, however, crimps the side of his mouth as he remarks, "Hmm... I'm more inclined to think she'd be unimpressed with these things." He hunches down and picks up a rather generic sub-machine gun. The very way he holds it suggests contempt, and he comments, "Simple, basic models. Practical, but boring. Violet prefers the weird and impractical because she's more interested in exotic design and type."

Bridgette also looks at a gun, and realizes that his words are true. The guns here are ordinary, unremarkable tools for killing, rather than pieces that might belong in someone's collection. She acknowledges, "...Actually yeah, you're right. They're good for fighting, and nothing else."

Chez Shay thrusts her Gunbrella upward a few times, causing her bare breasts to bounce, as she declares in her usual psychotic manner, "I vote we blow it up!" "THA BEST SOLUTION!" The Beast adds with identical upward thrusts, causing his big rabbit ears to bounce.

Kira once again rolls her eyes and snarks, "Of course you do." She rests her rocket launcher on her shoulder, and promptly falls onto her back when she miscalculates a far greater weight shift than she expected.

Bella tries not to laugh as she watches Kira grumble, struggling to get up, and tentatively replies, "...Actually... I think I agree with Chez Shay."

Lyla flinches, stammers, "Y-you do?" and looks around at all of the instruments of death. The sight of them brings out a dread in her heart, she lets out a soft groan of fear, and adds, "...I do too."

Zan chucks the gun over his shoulder, stands up, and states, "That may actually be the right idea this time. Destroying this armory will cause serious damage to the base, and it would also prevent any potential armed assaults from the rear by Kyo clones ordered to fight to the last minute, by withholding their weapons."

Bridgette raises an index finger, feeling the need to point out, "Now, if this were a weapon MUSEUM, I'd have to protest, but no, this place is boring." She swipes a thumb to the side with the same hand in a gesture of rejection.

Bella smirks, and announces, "Then it's settled!" She swaps her Compression Phaser Rifle for her wrench, and finishes, "Let's pull a Chez Shay!"

Chez Shay flinches, stares at Bella in confoundment with a soft grunt, then busts out laughing when it sinks in. She cackles, "I LIKE that! Let's Chez Shay this place up!"

Teresa turns to her Guardian, points dynamically, and orders, "Tar Agnaktor, you help too!"

The Tar Agnaktor claps its beak loudly in affirmation. It starts spewing napalm at everything. The Uroktors spit Tar Blobs all around. Bella sweeps Light Blast Beams across the walls and objects of the armory. Teresa scatters Tar Blobs around, setting up for bigger damage. Zan fires his Pulse Rifle at every container he sees. Bridgette flings Fireballs at the walls, and the blasts quickly ignite the standing tar, sending flames ripping all throughout the armory. Kira reloads her rocket launchers with the last of the immediately available ammunition, and fires them at everything. Chez Shay swoops about, laughing loudly, spraying rockets. The Beast flings missiles while yowling excitedly. Sasha releases bombs. Lyla fires her Tambourines' shots at more delicate-looking objects. The damage racks up rapidly, things catch on fire, containers and certain guns explode. Finally, Chez Shay flies up to Teresa and gives her a frightening grin. She whips out a bunch of hand grenades in a gesture that once again makes her bare breasts bounce. Teresa forms a smirk. She creates three Tar Pits in three separate sections of the armory, and Chez Shay chucks her grenades into them. The group takes off running with panicked hollering, for the hole the Tar Agnaktor made, Kira dumping the encumbering rocket launchers in the process. As Teresa flees, she proclaims, "Good work, Tar Agnaktor! Resume your rampage!"

The huge creature lets out its peculiar shriek, turns and charges toward a wall. It rams into the wall so hard it punches another hole, and leaves through it, the Uroktors scrambling to follow. The group, meanwhile, barges out of the armory into the hallway they entered from. The next second, the armory explodes in a base-shaking blast, and flames billow out of the hole behind the group. Many, many popping and blasting sounds emit from the armory as the group heads away from it down the corridor. Still very excited, Chez Shay keeps spraying rockets at the walls themselves to leave a trail of destruction behind the group. Kira looks back as she flees, and mutters uncomfortably, "...That was a bit deja-vu invoking."

Teresa is overwhelmed with confidence, and lets out her signature laugh, "OH-HOHOHO!"

Zan gives Teresa a very charmed look on hearing her faux-haughty little laugh. Bella, however, gives her an amused, but tentative smile, and comments, "Teresa... You're still trying too hard." Teresa just grins.

The group continues their own rampage through the corridors, damaging everything they see. They encounter a wall of Shield Drones. Teresa uses her Bone Spears to damage some, and Bella uses that technique she learned of distracting them with a Cat Bullet to trick them into exposing their vulnerable surfaces, and the group blasts through them. The group charges onward, randomly turning corners and making arbitrary decisions at crossways. They encounter a pair of Kyo clones. One of them leaps at the group and hits Zan with a flaming punch. Zan counters by bashing his Pulse Rifle into the enemy's forehead, then putting the gun away and roundhouse kicking him to send him flying back. Kira grabs the other as he leaps at Bella, and flings him into the ceiling. The group rampages onward, blasting terminals and destroying the walls and ceiling. The base shudders from another distant blast. A swarm of Option Drones move in behind the group, spraying shots at them. Chez Shay shoots the ceiling above them, causing yet another cave-in that only one escapes from, only for The Beast to blast it with a missile to destroy it, though not before it gets a shot off that hits Bridgette with a laser, causing her to flinch.

The group stampedes onward, and eventually passes through a "T" intersection, going straight through. The Amethyst Acklay is standing a short distance down the side path. The group skids to a stop when they suddenly realize what they just passed by. They go back, and look. The Amethyst Acklay is just idling there. They move into the side path, and approach the creature, as Bridgette speaks up, "Hey, what's wrong? Why aren't you fighting?"

The Beast busts into cultured speech, "OH YONDER BEAUTY! WHAT TROUBLES THEE?" Chez Shay flinches in utter confusion, and reacts toward The Beast, "What the heck's gotten into you?"

The Amethyst Acklay gives them a "follow me" gesture, and turns to scuttle down the hallway. The group gives each other curious looks, then follows after it. The corridor stretches for a short distance, and starts showing evidence of the Acklay's rampage, with crystalline formations and residue all along the way. After turning a few more very damaged corners, they come to a ruined door. The Amethyst Acklay waits for them there, then breaks down the remains of the door to give them a clear path into the chamber ahead.

The group readies themselves, and charge into this chamber. They slow to a stop when they find themselves in a cafeteria. An abandoned one. And abandoned along with it, is fresh food, just sitting out on the tables and counters. The girls' eyes widen. The Amethyst Acklay seems to grin. Zan laughs gently. Kira stares in wonder, and mutters, "Whoa..."

Bridgette snaps her gaze on her Guardian and exclaims, "You found food?!" The Amethyst Acklay just keeps grinning.

Bella quickly becomes very excited and states, "I haven't eaten since before we attacked the OTHER NESTS base!"

Lyla is very delighted, clasping her hands together beside her face as she says, "Oh, this is wonderful! Maybe getting something to eat will improve everyone's moods?" She looks at Sasha, who nods, smiling, and replies, "I believe it will."

Chez Shay puts away her Gunbrella, and thrusts to point forward, with another bounce of her bare breasts, as she shouts, "ATTAAACK!"

She swoops at some of the food, and quickly starts to scarf it down, tearing into a rather large hamburger. The Beast snarls as he devours some food as well, shredding a platter of meats and demolishing a bowl of red pasta. The other girls put their weapons away, Lyla setting her carpet down, and they all more maturely approach the food, and start eating. Zan smiles very warmly as he watches, not needing to eat as usual. Teresa and Bella sit at a table, and grab the sandwiches that they find before them. Bridgette finds an abandoned BLT, and gives it a once-over, and with a wry smile, remarks, "This completely makes sense. All of the stuff here is guy-food."

"Don't complain, just eat!" Kira shouts, as she starts eating some french fries and a bacon-burger as well. She looks around, and nearly chokes when she sees a milk bottle sitting on another table. She scrambles over, snags it, and starts to drink it. She winces, and spits it out with a disgusted reaction, "GUAAUCK! What is this?!" She looks at the label, and forms a disgusted face as she loudly complains, "...Skim? I hate skim! Who drinks skim?! It needs to be THICK! This crap won't do my breasts ANY good!" She chucks the bottle forward, and it shatters on impact with the edge of a table, scattering the horrible white stuff all over the place. She goes back to the burger and fries, grumbling angrily.

Lyla finds a rather exotic item, a bowl of large bread rolls that appear to be stuffed with meat and corn. After giving it a look-over, rendered quite curious, she picks it up, and takes it back to her carpet, where she sits, where starts delicately eating it, sharing some with Sasha. They both find themselves surprised and pleased with it, and eat the rest quickly and happily.

Teresa chews a bite of her sandwich, swallows, and half-heartedly comments, "Ehh, it's ok, I guess."

Bella gives Teresa an amused look as she replies, "What do you expect from a guy-run cafeteria that looks like it belongs in a middle-school? We can't expect Xiangfei-quality items here." She chokes down her own sandwich, just grateful for getting to eat something after running on an empty stomach for most of the day.

They also watch with mild disgust as Chez Shay swoops by, bits of food on her bare chest, as she moves in to ravage another burger, while The Beast launches himself like a vicious monster at a tray of chicken drumsticks on a serving counter. The base suddenly shudders violently, and they hear Bridgette yelp. They look, and see that she has almost fallen over. In the process, she spilled half the contents of her BLT onto her breast covering, the tops of her breasts, and even into her cleavage. She blushes in flusterment as picks the pieces off, grumbling, and Kira laughs at this, irritating Bridgette further. Zan remains beside the Amethyst Acklay, looking around the place, seeing if there is anything of interest to them. The Amethyst Acklay just watches everyone with calm approval.

As Zan looks around, his scans pick up something unusual. He moves toward a table, and the girls notice this. Teresa, as usual, speaks up in curiosity first, "What is it, master?" She snickers, and adds, "Did you find some Red Velvet Cake?"

Zan freezes, and gives Teresa an extremely alarmed look, which just makes her and the others laugh. He shouts in great urgency, "WHAT?! WHERE?!" He looks around quickly, playing along. Then he reverts to normal, and replies, "...No, actually, I think I might have found a dish that is unregistered on the Estate Menu."

He comes upon a large bowl. It is filled with a red sauce, meats, vegetables, and is still simmering with heat. Chez Shay drifts over, and looks closer at it, leaning forward so that her nude posture is quite eye-catching, though no one actually looks at her. She reacts, "Ooo... Can I eat it?"

Zan, scanning it, sniffs in amusement after a second and replies, "...Only if you want your mouth to ignite. This makes complete sense, given the people who would normally be eating here. It's called a 'Mega Hexameat Fire Curry'." The girls try not to crack up, or gag. Zan continues, "It is evidently a homebrew curry with six different types of meats and vegetables mixed with a sauce that contains specially combined spices. This results in an edible concoction that amplifies Fire-element abilities, but if you don't have a Fire affinity, it'll set your mouth on fire."

Bella snickers, and teases, "Now THAT sounds like a dish for you, Bridgette!"

Bridgette is still picking food bits out from between her shapely breasts, and she responds, "Meh! Just because I use Fire doesn't mean I like to eat it!"

Teresa, however, was one of those who reacted with revulsion at the food's name, and she looks off to the side as she remarks, "Oh I know someone who would want to eat THAT..." She mutters under her breath, "Lavi..."

Lyla, too, was one of those who reacted with horror, and she exclaims, "That sounds dreadful! Awful!"

Sasha gives her a half-amused look as she comments, "Reminds me of one of your servants' cooking styles."

Lyla aims her horrified look at Sasha, and momentarily echoes, "...Dreadful! Awful!" Sasha snickers.

Kira is more confused than anything, and inquires, "What do YOU want with it, Zan?"

He picks the entire thing up, and Chez Shay blinks when he suddenly stores it. She looks directly at him, as he turns to face everyone, and explains, "It's not on our menu registry. Xiangfei loves new and exotic food items, no matter how extreme they may be. I'm going to take it back with me as a souvenir gift from this mission for Xiangfei."

Lyla gives Zan a very unsure smile, as she replies, "That's sweet. ...I think..."

He notices the very skeptical looks he's getting, and says, "Xiangfei likes stuff like this. As do a few other girls in my Entourage. And ANY addition to the menu is always appreciated."

Kira slowly turns her attention away from this as she mutters, "Sounds more like a prank in the making..." She resumes eating.

Within a few minutes, everyone has had their fill, and sighs of contentment roll through the group. The base shudders again, but everyone looks at each other restfully. Bella turns around to lean back against the table, and says, "That was refreshing... Let's take a moment to rest..."

Sasha flinches, looks around in dread, and exclaims, "Are you serious? We're inside an enemy base that's being demolished!"

Zan gently states, however, "No, I agree. Everyone has been going non-stop for hours. Contour Barriers or no, you all shouldn't push yourselves. We're almost finished here, I think, so go ahead and take a moment to rest, digest, and get your stamina back. I'll keep watch, but I doubt we'll be attacked again. There IS an evacuation order still in effect, and those Kyo clones aren't suicidal enough to come looking for us now." He moves over near Lyla's carpet to take up a guarding position.

Kira gets to her feet, looks around, and when she thinks of something, inquires, "That reminds me... Has anyone else noticed that we haven't seen any more of those floating humanoid Ki-energy beings lately?"

Bella gives Kira a surprised look, mainly since she had been thinking just that earlier, and replies, "Actually, yeah. After we beat that bunch that tried to stop us from destroying that huge cannon, I don't remember seeing any more."

Zan starts checking over some older regional scan data, and states, "It may be possible that they only brought them here in limited supply. Unlike the droids, which they could manufacture on site, the Formless Kimen probably require other and greater resources to produce that they don't or can't bring with them."

Lyla timidly comments, "I certainly don't miss them... They were so scary and tough..." Sasha slowly nods.

The group takes some time, now, to rest. The girls move to sit on Lyla's comfortable carpet, and she welcomes them to do so. Bella takes her cat-hat off. It wiggles a little, and she hugs it lovingly. Teresa flops onto her back and sighs, looking over at Zan. Bridgette checks her top and her breasts, finds a few bits of food she missed from her spill, and picks them off. Kira walks around instead, looking at the other food and drink items abandoned here. Zan stays close by, and his cybernetic eye shifts to the Radar Icon as he starts running new regional scans to keep alert. Lyla leans back as she sits, feeling relatively safe with everyone around her. Sasha is nervous, due to being within the enemy's territory, and stays close to Lyla. Chez Shay sets down to her feet from her vacuum cleaner, puts it away, and brushes the food bits off of her bare chest. She comes over to the carpet, gets to her knees, and flops down onto her front, heaving a satisfied sigh. She is technically still on her knees, her chest and the side of her face on the floor, which leaves her bare backside high in the air, legs apart to put her entire nether area on full display, explicitly aiming it at Zan. He can't help but notice, and takes in the amazing sight for just a few seconds, the Radar Icon interrupted for a moment by the Arousal Icon. The girls either give Chez Shay sour looks, or take note of Zan's reaction with amusement. Chez Shay holds this position, just laying there, stuffed and happy. Her Gunbrella reverts back to normal, due to the calm that has set in. The Beast, having satisfied his hunger as well, moves toward the Amethyst Acklay, hearts in his eyes again. The creature gives him a weird look as he floats up to it.

He grins, and shouts, "CHECK THE PECS!" He suddenly busts out a panoply of mock flexing gestures, and the Amethyst Acklay tilts its head at the odd sight. The Beast slowly stops, and says, "NO? YOU WANNA DANCE FOR A BIT?" He next strikes an exaggerated dance pose, and the Amethyst Acklay gives him a genuinely baffled look. The Beast lets out a soft groan of distress as his mind races for a moment, and he mutters, "CRAP. LESSEE... AH!" He swoops over, grabs a big steak, and brings it over to the Amethyst Acklay. He holds it out, while bowing his head, and declares, "I OFFER YOU THIS MEAL, AS A TOKEN OF MY AFFECTION!" The Amethyst Acklay realizes it's being flirted with, causing it to start into shrieking laughter, and the other girls realize this as well.

Bridgette stares in absolute astonishment, and laughingly exclaims, "Oh my prime, The Beast has a crush on my Amethyst Acklay!" She starts laughing hysterically, to the point she has to clutch her stomach, tears starting to roll. "That is RICH!" she adds at one point when she can't laugh any more.

Chez Shay, watching him, still in her high-end posture, responds in honest surprise, "Is THAT what his problem is?!"

The girls laugh heartily, frustrating The Beast greatly. He flinches, when the Amethyst Acklay chomps down the steak, and gives him a rather scary grin that does not intimidate him, but rather, causes a blush to form on his artificial, patchwork face. Before they can continue, however, the Amethyst Acklay flinches, and snaps its head to look in the direction of the corridor. Zan makes a similar gesture, alarm taking over his demeanor, and both he and the Guardian look at each other seriously. He says, "You detected them too? We're a bit vulnerable right now. Go destroy them, and resume your rampage! Thank you for leading us here. We would have missed this respite completely otherwise." He bows slightly, and the creature nods its head.

The girls realize that enemies must be approaching, rendering Lyla and Sasha fearful. The Amethyst Acklay takes off scuttling out of the cafeteria, leaving The Beast behind. His ears and arms droop, and he sadly floats over to sit with the group. Bella pets him, and gently consoles, "It's ok. She just has a job to do." The Beast swats at Bella's hand, folds his arms, and grumps. The girls snicker a little more.

Chez Shay slowly slides her rather widely-spread legs down until she's laying flat on the floor. Her torso is on Lyla's carpet, but the bare skin of her waist and legs touch the cold, linoleum floor. After a moment, she shivers again. She suddenly jumps to her feet, and yelps, "Now it got cold! Guh. Where'd I put my clothes..?" She starts looking around rather groggily.

Bella gives her a disparaging eye, trying not to look at her nudity, and remarks with a tone of relief, "I was wondering when she would finally do this... I'm tired of seeing her naked body."

Teresa blinks, laying on her back on Lyla's carpet still, and asks, "You are? But we see nudity all the time at the Estate. How is hers any different from the Estate girls?"

Chez Shay remembers that she put her clothes in her vacuum cleaner bag. She takes it out, opens the bag, and starts pulling her clothing out. Bella watches this for a moment, then looks at the others as she replies, "The Estate girls... You all, you are like FAMILY. She's just annoying." She thumbs scornfully at Chez Shay at the end of her comment.

They chuckle a little, and watch as Chez Shay puts her stockings, then boots on, but remains nude on upward. She holds out her demolished underdress to look it over, and grumbles, "Damn those anti-air guns... This was my favorite... Zan, you can fix clothes fast, right?" She holds out the destroyed garment for him to see.

He just nods, and approaches. Chez Shay holds her underdress out, and he starts repairing it with his materializer microbeams darting from his fingertips. Chez Shay just stands there, though she does tap her foot a little. Bridgette is able to see her face clearly from where she sits, and she sniffs in amusement, commenting, "Well, somebody has obviously cooled down."

Chez Shay narrows an eye, reacts, "Eh?" and gives them a strange look.

Teresa suddenly sits upright, her pigtails wiggling a little, and she teases, "Oh yeah, you were sooo hot and bothered back there!"

Kira gets in on it too, and exclaims, "You were on the VERGE of forcing sex on Zan at that one point! Everyone was expecting you to rip his pants off!" Zan forms a grimace as he repairs the underdress.

Chez Shay flinches, putting on an offended demeanor that may or may not be genuine, and responds, "What?! In front of you all?! I would NEVAR do that! Even I have standards." She huffs, eyes closed.

Bridgette just rests a hand on her chin, giving Zan a suggestive look, as she says, "I dunno... You were tonguing him so hard I thought you might choke him."

The Beast, having already perked up, adds, "THEN YOU MARKED HIM."

Bridgette remembers when Chez Shay bit Zan, and narrows her eyes. Chez Shay just gives Zan a very suggestive look, and he returns it with a blank one, trying not to encourage her. Within a few seconds, he finishes repairing her underdress, rendering it in pristine condition. She grins happily, and promptly puts it on, then frees her hair from under it. She adds on the second layer by putting on her blue dress, freeing her hair from under it afterward as well. She cinches on her red tie that matches her rabbit-ear headband last, to finish putting her clothes on. She grins, with evil eyes, back to full setup, and stands there looking prominent. Zan gives her a nod, and she smirks. However, everyone else realizes something as she turns to close up her vacuum cleaner bag and put it away. They never saw her take out and put on one particular article: her panties. They say nothing about this, but give each other amused or wary looks. Chez Shay suddenly moves right up against Zan. He blinks, and looks her in the psychotic, but love-struck eyes. In as seductive a tone as she can muster, while pushing her breasts against his chest, she states, "You've been marked. I WILL get you, one day, Zan..." She grabs him by the head again, and kisses him suddenly. Then, just as suddenly, she moves away from him, and he watches her in surprise.

She goes over to hop onto a table and sits on its edge. She kicks her legs about, starting to become impatient with the wait already.

Bridgette gets up, and moves over to Zan, now that he's free. He looks at her, noticing that she has a more concerned look. She reaches up to gently touch his flesh cheek. She softly asks, "Did that bite heal up alright?"

The others watch this, remembering when Chez Shay bit him. Zan forms a soft smile in reaction to Bridgette's loving concern, rests a hand on the back of hers, and replies, "Yeah. It was shallow."

Bridgette narrows an eye as she feels his cheek a little more, then looks him directly in the eyes and says, "Contour Barriers are supposed to block damage. How did that get through?"

Zan averts his eyes in thought as he speculates, "Well, evidently the Contour Barrier registered it as a friendly action. Contour Barriers stop enemy attacks, not friendly actions like love-bites..." He ends up giving Chez Shay a wary look, and she returns it with a toothy grin.

The Beast snerks, and comments, "FRIENDLY FIRE AIN'T." Bella looks off to the side with just as dull an expression as before as she responds, "I hear that..."

Kira decides to speak up, "We're just fortunate we can't hurt each other accidentally with our attacks. The fights can get pretty wild sometimes, with all those Plasma Orbs and Tar Blobs and huge muscular fists flying around. We CAN hit each other deliberately with our attacks." She gets a concerned look from Zan, and responds to it with a little darting of the eyes as she carefully continues, "...Not that we would do that, and the Contour Barriers would block it all the same anyway. It's pretty sophisticated. Not to me, of course." She sniffs in amusement.

Lyla looks around amongst the Amethytus girls, and gently comments, "You all have such a tight bond... It's so wonderful." Sasha floats close to Lyla's head as she happily adds, "Like Bella said, they're a family! It's sweet..."

This makes the girls smile. Zan, too, smiles warmly at Bridgette, who returns the smile with a loving gaze. A mildly jealous look forms on Chez Shay's face.

Suddenly, the base shudders so hard Bridgette stumbles. Zan grabs her to keep her from falling, and she gives him an adoring look for it. Chez Shay falls off the table with a yelp. Teresa falls over even though she is sitting down, prompting Bella to snigger. Kira grabs a table to keep from falling over. The lights flicker violently, and a terminal on a wall near the door turns bright red. Bella notices the unstable lighting, and then the urgent-looking terminal screen. She warily comments, "That was a big one..." She puts her cat-hat back on and gets to her feet. She looks around at the others with stern demeanor as she states, "We should finish up here. This base is being torn apart by our magnificent Guardians, and is clearly on the verge of destruction."

Teresa gets to her feet shortly after, and asks, "What's next then?"

Bella takes out her wrench and stands in a dramatic stance, as she declares, "It's time we go to the top! Let's find the base's bridge! The invasion commander, either Zero or someone else, is probably there, so let's take him down and send a message to NESTS that they should give up in their futile goals to dominate the Multiverse!" She raises her wrench a little higher.

Bridgette keeps hold on Zan for a moment as she remarks, "Not that they could ever hope to pull that off anyway."

Bella continues her valiant proclamation, "We'll wreck the bridge and beat up the commander, and it'll resonate with NESTS that the Amethytus Entourage will never let them win!"

Chez Shay promptly draws out and jumps on her vacuum cleaner as she cackles, "HAHAHA! Finally!"

The Beast, back to normal crazy, swoops up into the air and strikes a mighty pose, as he exclaims, "IT'S TIME TO FRY THE BIG FISH! ...OOH, HEY!" He finds some fried fish on another plate, and snaps it up with snarfing noises.

Bella watches him for a moment in disgust, then more mildly adds, "...Plus, I still haven't seen anyone resembling the man from my vision. He may be in the bridge, and I want to find out who he is!"

Zan raises a finger to catch attention, and says, "About that. I have had plenty of time to think about the description you gave me, and I have a fairly good idea of who it probably is now. I want to check and confirm before I specify though."

Kira crimps the corner of her mouth in annoyance as she responds, "Why do you do that, Zan? It's so annoying! Just tell us what you're thinking!"

He gives her a flat look as he states, "I really need to know for certain before I say anything."

Bridgette just pokes Zan's chin, causing him to blink, and teases, "He just doesn't like being wrong."

Zan gives Bridgette a skeptical look as he replies, "Does anybody?"

The group moves to the exit of the cafeteria. Lyla stays seated on her carpet, and it just rises up to fly and move with the group. Chez Shay follows as well, seated on her vacuum cleaner. Sasha and The Beast float beside their respective mistresses. Zan moves to stand before the flashing terminal and scans it, while the girls watch him. After a moment of not being entirely sure of what he's doing, Teresa says, "Master?"

He raises a hand in a gesture requesting they wait, and explains, "Downloading Base Map Data. Man this place is huge. It's not terribly labyrinthine, fortunately." He finishes after a moment, looks at them with a nod, and says, "Ok. I'll lead the way."

Bella nods with an affirmative grunt, and replies, "Go for it!"

Zan runs out of the cafeteria, and the girls follow after him, fully refreshed from their meals and rest. They are ready to wrap this up. They shortly return to the "T" intersection, where they find a horrid mess of demolished droids of all types, likely the enemies the Amethyst Acklay and Zan detected earlier. The group is quite amazed, and impressed, with the metal carnage. Zan heads on the way they were originally going to go, and guides them through the facility corridors.

The group traverses the base, navigating a myriad of passages and rooms. They have since stopped attacking the base itself, since it is no longer necessary, and they all suspect they will need to conserve their strength for what may lie ahead. They also notice, however, that they have stopped encountering enemies. No more droids, no Kyo clones, nothing. It would seem that the base is nearly fully evacuated. The base shudders several more times during their run, and the alarms are a little louder now. The base even tilts slightly at one point, and the group frets that it may be already starting to fall, until it rights itself.

They eventually make their way into a tall stairwell, and start climbing. They climb, and climb. Chez Shay, even though she ascends the stairs in flight, still finds the climb obnoxious. She complains, "What the heck, man? Why didn't we take the elevator we saw back down there?"

Kira runs up the steps, working her athletic little legs hard. She chides, "Are you an idiot? Or are you just that inexperienced?!"

Chez Shay recoils from the sudden insult and snarls, "What the HECK was THAT for?!"

Bridgette, Bella and Kira simultaneously exclaim, "NEVER use elevators in an emergency!" They give each other amused/annoyed looks when they realize they spoke in unison. Chez Shay is only slightly less irritated, not entirely getting it.

Teresa promptly trips on the steps and flops forward. The group stops, and Kira reluctantly helps her to her feet. They resumes climbing, Teresa looking quite flustered. As Kira runs up the steps, she continues the conversation, "It's just common sense!"

The Beast belts out a sudden laugh, catching them off guard, and he responds, "COMMON SENSE? SHE HAS RARE SENSE! VERY UNCOOKED!" Chez Shay swats her Gunbrella at The Beast, who just laughs as he avoids it, and she barks, "SHADDAP."

As Zan runs up the steps, he tries to reason with Chez Shay, "This base is about to blow up. Would you WANT to be stuck in an elevator when the power dies?"

She rolls her head as she responds, "I GET it already, I GET it already, GEEZ. It's just that... BRIDGETTE looks tired!" She points at Bridgette, and notices something that greatly amuses her.

Bridgette, running up the steps with everyone else, scoffs in annoyance, and exclaims, "I am NOT so unfit I can't climb a bunch of steps!"

Chez Shay is still observing the amusing sight, aims her point a little lower, and remarks, "No, but your boobs sure don't fit."

Bridgette notices that her breasts have popped free from the very low-riding cover she wears over them, due to their continuous bounce from her step-climbing. She gives Zan a suggestive look, and he returns it with a tentative one. She leaves them that way, figuring there's no point in fixing them repeatedly until she gets to the top of the stairs. The group rounds the stairs, up and up. Teresa trips again, and whimpers. Chez Shay snerks, and comments, "Actually, pigtails is the one getting tired."

Teresa is indeed sweating a little, and panting. However, Lyla, who has been sitting on her carpet and flying up the steps this entire time, moves up behind her, and gently offers, "Teresa, hop aboard."

Teresa looks at her, lets out a grateful grunt, climbs on, and somewhat reluctantly says, "Thank you..." She sits and sighs, and slowly starts to catch her breath.

Bella keeps running up the steps with everyone, blinks when she realizes something, and gives Teresa a curious look as she asks, "For that matter, why didn't you just take out your GravBoard?"

Teresa puts her arms akimbo as she states, "I AM good at flying that thing, but going round and round and round... I'd get dizzy... and fall... and REALLY hurt myself."

Zan just keeps running up the steps, his cybernetic enhancements greatly reducing the stamina drain from such an activity. He gives Teresa a concerned gaze, and remarks, "Not with your Contour Barrier you wouldn't, but I certainly don't want to see you bouncing down the steps either way..."

Teresa forms a cute smile in appreciation for his tender concern, and replies, "Yes, master. Thank you."

Round and round, up and up, they climb at least twelve floors-worth of steps before Zan comes to a stop in front of a large door. The group stops, and takes note of the fact that the stairs keep going. Bridgette pants, her exposed breasts rising and falling with her chest as she breathes, and she asks, "What is it, Zan?"

Zan points at the door, while looking at everyone, and says, "This is the bridge."

Bella is also panting quite a bit, and looks upward at the continuing stairwell, as she responds, "But the steps keep going up."

Zan explains, "The bridge is in that spire we saw at the peak of the base. Those steps probably lead to a maintenance chamber or some other station over the bridge. But the bridge is right here. Be careful. I detect a strong enemy in there." He gives the door a wary look.

Kira grins, and has her Ether Blob appear. She responds, "Let's kick his ass then," and hops into her blob.

Bella grins, and inhales hard to steel herself. She declares, "Finally. The end is in sight! Thanks again, everyone. Let's finish this mission and go home!"

Chez Shay is grinning widely, also able to sense power beyond the door. She exclaims, "I've been looking forward to this since T-Bone ran from us back in their other base!" The Beast just laughs heartily, "HAR HAR HAR!"

Bella readies her wrench, a very confident look on her face. Teresa focuses, and her scepter starts oozing with tar. Zan focuses his power, and his cybernetics glow. Bridgette secures her breasts under her top again, then swings her scythe a couple of times, and readies herself. Kira punches a hand into a fist, and her Ether Blob mimics this in tandem. Chez Shay gives The Beast a big, toothy grin, and he responds likewise. Lyla takes out a few skill cards and clutches them close, trembling just slightly. Sasha nuzzles her, and she smiles, nodding.

"Move out!" Bella orders, and she shoots the door with a Light Blast Beam. Sasha and The Beast pelt it with bombs and missiles. Chez Shay and Teresa barrage it with bullets and Bone Spears. Bridgette moves in and slashes big cuts into the door with her scythe. Finally, Zan and Kira ram the door with great force, and the group blasts their way into the bridge, ready for the final confrontation.

They find themselves in a large control center. It is ring-shaped, with the center being filled by the circular shaft they ascended within. They first notice the wrap-around window that serves as the entire outer wall of the center, ribbed by support beams. They come out on a slightly raised floor, which descends to a lower floor, only a step down, midway toward the outer wall. There are numerous computer terminals distributed evenly throughout the center, which is completely empty of personnel. The next thing they notice is Palindrome, flying around outside, firing dozens of shots and avoiding the smattering of shots coming its way. Regularly, it fires its super laser at the base, producing the shuddering effect everyone has been feeling, which draws attention to the fact that the base is now on fire all over, its hull extremely heavily damaged. The sight of this greatly pleases Bella. Finally, they notice Zero, standing in the center of the lower floor, his back to them, looking out the window at the destruction being wrought. Clearly, he has been waiting for them to arrive. Glaugan is sitting by him, very badly wounded still. The group clusters at the edge of the upper floor, weapons ready. Zero turns his head to look back at them through the corner of one eye, then tilts his head down to look at Glaugan, and firmly states, "The meddlers have arrived. Glaugan, I wish to compliment you on your honorable efforts to support us. You did very well for what you could do. I am also sorry you had to suffer so much. It's time to go home, take your rest and recover. Leave this to us." His use of the word "us" unnerves Zan a little.

Glaugan emits a soft growl. He turns, without looking at the group, and runs off to the side. A black portal opens in front of him, he leaps in, disappears, and the portal closes.

Zero turns to face the group, tossing his waistcape in a dramatic fashion during the turn. The group tenses, though they can see that he, too, is still very injured from the defeat back at the expansion base. He hasn't even been patched up completely, and his cape-sweeping gesture is just slightly feeble. He gives them a mild scowl, as he proceeds to chastise them, "You have caused us a lot of trouble. It took us quite a bit of time and effort to build this base, and what do you do? You and your pets make a mess of it in an hour. We do not appreciate your meddling in our work. You, who are just a bunch of children, should stay in your snug little hole and play your little hero games. You have no business challenging how we adults choose to use the Multiverse, and your snapping at our heels is very tiresome. I will give you one last chance here and now, to leave, so that we may resume our work, and we will consider showing you some grace. Otherwise, you WILL be punished, if not here, then in the near future."

Zero's tone hits the hot-buttons of several of the girls. Bridgette, Kira, Chez Shay and The Beast in particular feel their blood boiling, as Zero talks down to them as though he were reprimanding delinquent children. Teresa, Bella, Lyla and Sasha are also very disturbed by this irritating demeanor. Zan maintains his composure, and tries to help the group do the same as he resolutely responds, "Your 'work' entails further damage to the multiverse. Our mission is to stop or at least slow the damage. There was no way for us to ignore your activities."

Bella swipes her hand to the side as she exclaims, "You're terrorizing innocent people and ruining a peaceful land! MY land! This is MY original home! You're doing so much damage that I was alerted to it from far away! Like Zan said, there was no way FOR me to ignore you!"

Kira glowers angrily as she makes a response of her own, "You talk far too big, acting all high and mighty like you have absolute authority, and treating us like kids. You need to learn the lesson that even very small things can KILL you." "KILL..." The Beast echoes in a menacingly drawn-out manner, his eyes glowing slightly.

Zero folds his arms, frowning sternly, and says, "I assumed you would defy us as such. It is you who shall be taught a lesson then." He holds a hand out to the side, and the group tenses further.

A man appears beside Zero. A man wearing a very similar outfit, including a dark bodysuit, but he is wearing a full-body cloak with a hood, and the cloak lacks blades, instead sporting a few long tails with scorpion-stinger-like tassels. His face is pale and feminine, and his hair is long and blonde. A rather beautiful appearance for a man, belied by the visibly muscular body he also possesses. The coldness in his eyes also shows that the beauty is entirely on the surface. Bella's eyes immediately go wide at the sight of him. Zan immediately scans him, and the others instantly turn their focus on him in alarm. Lyla and Sasha quickly become frightened, while Chez Shay can't help but form a crazy grin of anticipation.

Zero promptly kneels before the man, and submissively states, "My lord, these are the meddlers that have dared to defy us by doing so much damage to our Eihemland Campaign."

The grand man's cloak opens up seemingly on its own, the hood descending to reveal his whole head. He also flickers erratically, as though he were an image of light. He utters in a hushed, but very haughty tone, "Behold, the divine face of NESTS. Tremble in awe and weep like the children you are, at the incomprehensible might that is a god. A god that shall see to it you face retribution for your trespasses into this newly-acquired territory of NESTS."

Bridgette's mouth slowly falls open as she stares with aghast eyes. She eventually manages to remark, "Holy crap... Does that man really think he is a god?"

Teresa puts her arms akimbo as she passes a brief look at Kira and quietly comments, "And I thought Kira had arrogance issues." Kira passes a brief glare at Teresa, but is just as disturbed as the others.

Bella sidles a little closer to Zan as she nervously exclaims, "Zan... That man... That's the man! That's the man I saw in my vision!"

He slowly nods, frowning with disturbance, and he explains in an unnerved tone, "It is as I thought, Bella. That, is Igniz, the supreme commander of all of NESTS. It would seem that he is the one heading the Interdimensional operations. He is extremely powerful, which entirely explains why it was his face rather than Zero's you saw in your vision. Igniz, the Lashing Galactic Whip of Divinity."

Chez Shay, however, only becomes even more ecstatic when she hears this. She exclaims in all her usual craziness, "Sweet! A two-fer deal!" "BEAT ONE, DEFEAT ANOTHER FOR FREE!" The Beast adds with a cackle.

Zan then speaks up a little louder, "That, however, is not him in person. That is a holographic projection of Igniz." The girls frown on hearing this, and Zan continues cautiously, "I can detect, however, that it is tapping into the power sources of the base itself, giving it enough power to be just as dangerous as the real man, and he is likely at least partially controlling it, meaning it has all of his skills and intelligence. Don't take it lightly just because it's a hologram."

Kira gives Zan, then the Igniz-Hologram an incredulous look as she huffs, "Hmph. He talks like he's a deity, but he's not brave enough to face us in the flesh, huh? It'll feel like an empty victory to defeat an illusion."

Chez Shay is glowering now, and fusses, "Well NOW I feel gypped! So much for the two-fer!"

Teresa forms her own smug little sneer, and chides, "Hiding behind a hologram?! Loooser!"

Lyla and Sasha stay quiet, still afraid. The former clutches her Skill Cards close to her chest, the latter retreats partially into her oil lamp shell in fear.

Bella, however, remains determined, and starts to rally the others, declaring, "No matter, everyone. Defeating Zero and a hologram of Igniz that is just as powerful will still send a strong message that we are not to be trifled with! We may be young, but we pack a punch!" "PAUNCH!" The Beast blurts, throwing a punch into the air with exaggerated might.

While the Igniz-Hologram just maintains his cold, smug expression, Zero grits his teeth as he stands up, hands clenched into fists. He shouts angrily, his composure never truly recovered after the loss at the expansion base, "How dare you disrespect my lord! It is time I crushed you to dust!"

Bridgette takes on a fighting stance quickly, scythe at the ready, and retorts, "Come on, then! You couldn't beat us before, and you can't beat us now!"

The base shudders from an explosion within the structure, as Zero launches forward toward the group. Igniz remains where he is, observing. Zero starts into his rush with a Cutting Swallow attack focused on Bridgette, who holds up her scythe to guard against the attack, though she struggles to resist, and her Contour Barrier flickers from the damage. Zero is immediately shot by bullets and struck by a missile from Chez Shay and The Beast, and warps into the air to avoid more shots. He flies at them to throw a heavy punch, but Chez Shay just backs up to avoid the attack, and he smashes a computer terminal instead. He performs a backflip, warps backwards once, and promptly falls into a Tar Pit Teresa created during his evasions. He simply warps out of it, but finds a Uroktor clamped onto his arm, and a second one leaps out of the pit and thrusts a beak at him for a stab. He swings his arm to throw the clamped-on Uroktor off, and kicks the attacking Uroktor, knocking it back and away. It yelps, and backflips into a Tar Hole, while the second lands near Teresa and rights itself.

Zero turns to throw a high kick at Zan, but Zan responds with a similar kick to clash with the attack, and the subsequent blast of Plasma sends Zero backflipping away. Zan jolts when he is shot by a big orb of white Void energy from Igniz, and scowls, but is forced to guard when Zero creates four discs of Void energy that project beams at him, Bella, Teresa and Kira. Bella throws up a Light Screen, and Kira grits her teeth as her Ether Blob crosses its arms, to block. Teresa's Uroktor moves into the way of the beam to protect her, giving her time to jump and avoid the beam. She nearly clips her leg on a railing, but manages to land on the rail, and flings a Bone Spear that pierces through Zero, causing him to grunt. He swings around and lashes his cape at her, but she loses her balance on the rail before he even starts, flailing her arms in a futile attempt to stay balanced, and she falls over the other side, ending up against a computer terminal. She scrambles around it to get away from the Void Beam still firing at her, while her Uroktor spits a glob of tar at Zero. He is only gunked up briefly, before he swings an arm hard enough to disperse it. Lyla and Sasha hang back, waiting for an opening, while also keeping an eye on Igniz.

Bridgette lunges at Zero and swings her scythe with a snarl, but Zero claps his hands on the blade to stop it mid-swing, though he does get shocked by the Voltage she is generating. Bridgette glowers at him, then grins when he is shot by a missile from The Beast and an orb of Light from Bella, then gets pecked hard in the back by the second Uroktor that has popped up behind him from a Tar Hole. He shoves Bridgette back, and lashes his cape out at Bella to slash her, and she yelps in shock, then jumps to smash her wrench on his head. He hunches slightly, wincing, and jolts again when the Uroktor pecks him again. Zero swings around and pulls off a twin strike, with a powerful reverse high kick that sends Bella flying back against a computer terminal, and a heavy punch right into the face of the Uroktor, knocking it out of its Tar Hole and stunning it. Bella flips to her feet and focuses her wrench to shoot at Zero as he leaps at Bridgette for a flying kick. Bella is shot by an orb from Igniz and loses her focus. She glares at him, but finds herself unnerved by his cold demeanor.

Zero is grabbed from behind by Kira before he can finish his attack, gets struck by a bolt of Lightning from Bridgette, and gets hoisted over Kira in a suplex, as she yells with might. He grunts in pain from the impact, and flips to his feet in a slightly weakened motion. Kira bounces away, then flies toward him, grinning widely, as she has her Ether Blob throw a powerful kick, but Zero, just barely in time, throws one of his own to clash with it, causing Kira to grunt in frustration. Zero is gunked up by Tar Blobs from both Teresa and one of her Uroktors, then is shot by Chez Shay and The Beast in the middle of this, and grunts. Still more, he is struck again by Lightning from Bridgette, igniting the tar, and Zan comes flying in fist first to pound his chest with a Plasma-empowered punch. He staggers back, on fire, grabs Zan, and throws him at Bridgette, the two tumbling a short distance, ending up against a computer terminal.

Zero promptly warps out of the burning tar on his body to escape further Fire damage. Teresa stands up from her hiding spot again, and yelps when she realizes that she is too close to Igniz. He is giving her a menacing look, then thrusts a hand forward but down low, to launch a short-range burst of white Void energy at her. She jumps out of range just in time, back closer to the fight the others are having, and shakes her scepter at him threateningly. He points behind her with a smirk, and she turns to see Zero flying at her in a Cutting Swallow attack. She squeals and dives to the side yet again, just barely dodging it. But as she slides, she turns onto her side and creates a Bone Spike to jut up from the ground and stab Zero. He yelps from the pain, and kicks the spike to shatter it. Teresa hits him again the next second with a Bone Spear, a Uroktor pops up beside him and chomps into him, and a bomb from Sasha pops on him, causing Lyla to flinch when she realizes that Sasha has gained the confidence to join the attack. She nods, and holds out her Tambourines to start spraying wood bolts at Zero, and he is forced to shield himself from the barrage of shots, while the Uroktor remains clamped on. He looks very fatigued already, however.

Zero looks at the calmly-watching Igniz-Hologram, and feels determination well up in him to win the fight for NESTS' pride. He suddenly smashes a fist into the head of the Uroktor, forcing it to release him with a shriek. Then he lashes his cape out at Lyla, cutting her carpet and frightening her into backing up. He warps suddenly to get behind her, and throws a high kick straight into her back to send her flying off of her carpet with a pained scream. Zan and Bridgette jump to their feet, and the Anger Icon forms in Zan's cybernetic eye. He leaps forward to catch Lyla, as Sasha turns to pop Zero in the face with a bomb, while backing up from him to go after Lyla. Her carpet disappears when she lands in Zan's arms.

Chez Shay snarls viciously as she gets right behind Zero, and shoots him in the back with her Gunbrella, injuring him further. He swings around and lashes his cape at her, but she rears back as hard as she can to let the cape's blades go over her head. Zero is struck by a Bone Spear, a missile from The Beast, a Tar Blob from a Uroktor, and a sweeping Light Blast Beam from Bella, the blast staggering him forward, with the tar on him igniting again. He warps again to escape the burning tar, and get out of the way of further attacks. But Chez Shay continues to shoot at him, hanging close, and The Beast flings missiles persistently. Zero keeps warping, they keep chasing, and his warping is interrupted when he is struck by a descending Plasma Bolt from Bridgette. He ends up in front of Kira, who grabs him unexpectedly with a fierce yell. She leaps into the air, flipping Zero head-down, and slams him into the ground in a pile-driver, shouting loudly as she performs the attack. He yells in pain, and gets shot by Chez Shay and Teresa yet again.

He flips to his feet and lashes his cape out at Kira, but her Ether Blob swings a fist to clash with the attack and stop it, and she belts a brief laugh. A Uroktor pops up once again beside him, clamps onto his leg, and he grits his teeth from the pain. Zan sets Lyla on her feet and Bella comes up to check on her. She is frightened, but appreciative of being helped. She yelps when Igniz tries to shoot her with an orb, but Bella blocks it with a Light Screen. Zan launches at Zero, who sees him coming. Mid-launch, Zan is struck by a cape-slash from Zero, who then flashes with energy, and jumps into a triple-hit Cutting Swallow, tossing the clamped-on Uroktor off. Zan yelps as the attack tears at his Contour Barrier, but before Zero can finish, Kira snatches him right out of the air with a yell, and slams him against the floor to terminate his attack. Zan lands beside Zero, and Bridgette jumps over the group to land in a third position around Zero. The Uroktor claps its beak a couple of times, waiting. The moment Zero climbs to his feet, Zan catches him with a Tractor Beam, and yanks Zero back toward himself. The moment he reaches Zan, Zan punches him in the chest with a Plasma blast that sends him flying toward Kira, who belts a mighty yell as she has her Ether Blob punch him with tremendous force to send him flying back toward Zan, who roundhouse kicks him toward Bridgette. She slashes him with an intense Plasma Sweep of her scythe, and before he can be launched, slashes him directly several times, finishing with a Plasma blast that sends him flying back toward Zan. Zan flip kicks him to send him flying straight up, and Kira snatches him out of the air, slamming him to the ground, and performing a short hop to drive her Ether Blob's huge elbow into Zero's torso, yelling as she goes. The heavy impact bounces him into the air, where the Uroktor pecks him very forcefully, The Beast and Teresa nail him with a missile and a Bone Spear, and Zan finishes with an orb of Plasma that explodes, sending Zero flying back and flipping over a computer terminal, wrecking the machine in the process. Kira, her arms folded, starts into an extremely boisterous laugh, as the group adjusts their positions to attack Zero. He staggers to his feet, greatly injured now, and moves around the ruined computer terminal. He readies himself to continue fighting, despite his heavy damage. Everyone flinches, when Kira's proud laughter is cut off by a second of abrupt silence, followed by her breaking into very agonized screams of pain, "GAAAHHH! GAAAHHH! NOT AGAIN!"

Everyone halts, including Zero and Igniz, and they look at her. Her eyes are wide, pupils shrunk, and she is writhing in pain. A distinctly loud explosion from deep within the base shakes the floor... Kira clutches her hands into shaking fists, as she screams, "MY FOOT! GAAAAHHH!" Tears rapidly form in her eyes.

Kira, floating upright, half-submerged atop her Ether Blob, writhes, and everyone looks at her feet, to see that her left foot has twisted into an extremely painful cramp. She can't do anything about it because of technically being afloat. Everyone is stunned and perplexed, but for Zan. The Urgency Icon forms in his Cybernetic Eye, and he suddenly leaps over to her. In swift, fluid motion, he grabs her by her sides, lifts her out of the Ether Blob, and sets her on her feet. She continues to scream in distress as he does this, but he drops to a knee, and presses both hands firmly atop her left foot to compress it into the floor, forcing it to straighten out. Kira watches Zan do this, as she grits her teeth hard, tightly clutched fists quaking, tears rolling from her eyes, one of which is closed, the other squinting in pain. She trembles as her foot twinges and spasms for several more seconds, but Zan keeps her foot braced down, focusing entirely on keeping it from twisting, and this greatly reduces the pain quickly. Aside from the alarm in the base, silence takes over for a moment, Kira's screams reduced to whimpers.

The cramp begins to subside, but Zan holds firm against her foot, analyzing it as he does to monitor the cramp. Kira's eyes becomes fixated on his face as he valiantly supports her during this little personal crisis. A strange, unfamiliar warmth forms in the center of Kira's bitter heart, and her demeanor softens with the subsiding pain of the cramp. This is the first time ANYONE has helped her during one of her notorious foot cramps. And it ended up being Zan. The warmth in her heart intensifies, and she cannot identify its source. Her eyes soften, her mouth remaining open just slightly, as she gazes at him. He confirms that her foot cramp has concluded, and looks directly at her. He notices the expression she is giving him, a soft gaze that he has seen quite a few times before on the faces of other girls in his Entourage. He is quite familiar with what this indicates, and a tender smile forms on his face. Up until now, Kira had been quite cold and spiky in general, so this would mark the first time she has looked at him in such a way. After a moment of soft eye-contact, Zan gently asks, "Are you ok now, Kira?"

She rubs the tears from her eyes as she keeps gazing at him, and she quietly answers, "Y-yeah... It's stopped cramping... Thank you... Zan..."

He slowly nods. The girls, who were unable to see Kira's face due to their current positions, form relieved and warm expressions. Bridgette softly coos, "Oh, Zan..."

Teresa looks around at the others with warm adoration for him as she praises, "That's my master... So gentle."

Bella looks at Teresa, and rhetorically asks, "Is there really any wonder why we love him so much?"

Lyla clasps her hands together again, with a soft gaze, and comments, "That was so sweet..."

Sasha has a very cute smile as she notes, "He is so kind-hearted."

Chez Shay just sort of stares in surprise, and remarks, "THAT came out of no-where."

The Beast is grinning, arms folded, clearly quite impressed, and he says, "BOSS MAN'S GOT THE MOVES..."

Igniz emits an amused huff, alarming the others, and he declares in contempt, "How sad. It is a wonder you puny beings can get anything done if you are so feeble you have to spend so much time carrying each other through such inexplicable debilitations."

Everyone, excluding Zero of course, snaps intense glares toward Igniz. Even Lyla and Sasha frown angrily. Kira's eyes return to their hard state, with little red dots forming in the centers of her pupils, fury welling up as she grits her teeth. Zan slowly stands up, frowning, with a dark glare of his own. Kira leaps back into her Ether Blob, swipes a hand to the side in rage, which her Ether Blob imitates, and she snarls, "I am gonna RIP YOU IN HALF!"

Zero accepts Kira's challenge, and suddenly warps in front of her to throw a high-kick. Kira's Ether Blob grabs his leg and flips him forcefully. Lyla takes a Wave Card out of her deck, and activates it. Chez Shay immediately starts shooting at Zero again. He lashes his cape out at Bridgette, but she blocks the attack with her scythe, and he gets struck by a Tar Blob from Teresa and a missile from The Beast, the blast igniting the tar once again. Lyla starts pelting him with the big Wave shots, standing on her feet rather than on her carpet. Bella fires orbs of Light at Zero as well. He warps out of the tar, then leaps at them in a Cutting Swallow attack, and Bella brings up a Light Screen to just barely hold it back. Kira grabs Zero again, and smashes him against the floor, then brings an elbow drop down at him, but he warps out from under her before she can finish. Chez Shay and Lyla continue to shoot at him, and Teresa thrusts her scepter, hitting him with Amplify Damage. He quickly becomes alarmed, emitting a faint grunt of distress. Lyla's Wave shots and Chez Shay's bullets start hurting a lot more. He lashes his cape out to slash at Kira, managing to rake her with the blades, but her barrier holds it back, and she snarls as her Ether Blob slams him with a downward punch, causing him to stagger back in pain. Constantly being battered by Lyla's shots, one of Sasha's bombs pops on him, and he is blasted by Lightning from Bridgette.

All of this staggers him, and he is promptly grabbed from behind by Zan, who turns him around forcefully. Zan adjusts his grip on him, and thrusts his fist into Zero's face once, then twice, then left hooks across his face, followed by a powerful uppercut with the gripping hand to pop him slightly into the air, where Zan swings his right foot out to strike with a swinging kick, twirls, and slams him with his left heel for another strike, then hops, and smashes his knee into Zero's chest, creating a powerful Plasma blast that sends Zero careening back and smashing into the central wall of the chamber, punching a dent into it, where he slides down into a crumpled mess. He groans, blood flowing from his many wounds, and everyone draws near to continue the assault. He staggers shakily to his feet, then stumbles to the side slightly and drops to one knee, panting and bleeding. Seeing this, everyone eases up just slightly. That is when Igniz proclaims, "That is enough, Zero. You have failed."

Zero coughs a couple of times, and stammers, "M-my lord... I can still..." Igniz gently holds a hand up dismissively, and announces, "No, you cannot. Your mission here is a failure, and a disappointment. However, the fact that you were forced to fight one against nine will also be taken into account."

Zero grits his teeth in a combination of pain to his body and pride, and responds in frustration, "My lord, my strength is more than enough to match up to these nine children and animals!"

Igniz slowly nods, but his expression remains unchanged, as he pronounces, "Be that as it may, you are still overwhelmed and significantly injured. It is time for you, too, to evacuate this base, and return to our headquarters. Return, Zero."

Zero grimaces, but would never disobey his lord. He grumbles, "...Yes, my lord." He throws a weak glare at the group, and gives them one last statement, "You have had your empty victory. And should you, by some miracle, survive against my lord, you have my word that I will have my vengeance against you for disgracing me and NESTS' pride."

Chez Shay, with a scornful frown, points her Gunbrella at him, and says, "Talk talk talk. Just die already, T-Bone!" She fires the gun.

Zero warps out of the way of the shots, and appears in front of another section of the central wall. He rests a hand on it, barely able to stand, and a hatch opens up, that was so well camouflaged that it seems to actually spawn from the wall itself. He dives inside, and the hatch shuts and seals, completely merging with the wall again, looking as though it was never there. Zan grunts in frustration. Bridgette and Bella sigh heavily in exasperation. The Beast tilts his head back in a loud groan of aggravation. Lyla and Sasha emits sighs too, but they sound more of relief. Teresa facepalms. Kira's fists shake angrily as she snarls, "GRAH! If there IS one thing he's remarkably good at, it's ESCAPING!"

Chez Shay becomes extremely irritated, and loudly complains, "That is SO INCREDIBLY DISSATISFYING!" "COWARD!" The Beast calls out as mockingly as possible.

Teresa's pigtails bristle as she fusses, "So annoying!"

"And so the mongrels lament," Igniz declares from behind the group.

They tense again, and slowly turn around to look at the Igniz-Hologram, still standing there, with a frightening little smile on his face. He slowly folds his arms, as he utters in a tone absolutely dripping with arrogance, "I suppose SOME consideration should be made toward the fact that you all have managed to make it this far. It takes quite a lot of might to have done as much damage as you have. Unfortunately, the mighty often fall VERY hard..."

Bridgette, greatly irritated by his overall demeanor, retorts, "The same can be said of you, jerkass!"

Teresa points at him and replies in her own haughty little tone, which is dwarfed in comparison to his however, "You don't even count, actually! You're not even brave enough to face us in the flesh!"

Igniz scoffs, and slowly gestures as he proclaims, "Do you honestly think that I, supreme commander of NESTS, a god of the Void, have enough time to deal with buzzing gnats- no, gnawing termites, like yourselves, in person? This astral projection shall be more than enough to slay you."

Zan maintains a diligent caution with regard to this enemy, and quietly warns, "Girls... Be careful... Remember, he may be a hologram, but he IS as powerful as the real thing..."

Kira, nevertheless, is still very angry at him, and remarks, "Not to mention as pompous..."

The group carefully readies themselves, knowing that, if they can defeat him, this will mark the conclusion of their mission here.

~Waypoint 23: Disruption of NESTS~

Igniz stands before the group, perfectly calm, while Bella's group is growing nervous. They can sense the power this hologram has. With its tap into the base as a power source, it has a virtually unlimited supply of energy to work with, despite the extensive damage Bella's group has inflicted. They can feel that it is indeed a serious threat. Zan stays at the front of the group, keeping a sharp and ready eye on Igniz. Bella stands beside him, unable to hide the nervousness on her face. Teresa has begun to sweat a little. Bridgette tightly grips her scythe. Kira bobs up and down on her Ether Blob, frowning sternly. Chez Shay floats on her vacuum cleaner, a sneer of anticipation plastered across her face. The Beast has a similar look. Lyla is actually trembling, her jewelry shivering excitedly as a result. Sasha is half-retracted into her oil lamp shell. The base suddenly shudders again, from another blast one of their Guardians has produced somewhere within. The shuddering breaks the tension that has built up from the initial stare-down, and Igniz lifts his head up to look at the ceiling as he inquires with no true interest, "Why do you so foolishly stand opposed to me?" He looks back at the group, pacing about while gesturing flamboyantly, speaking arrogantly, "You know of NESTS power. If you are as adept at interdimensional travel as you so claim, you must know of how much progress we've made. NESTS has taken root in over a dozen realms, and we continue to find new realms to breach into every day."

Kira scoffs as hard as she can, catching his attention for the moment, and she responds with her own pride, "I call that claim bogus. Your 'troops' are pathetic! You have flimsy little droids that rely on Zerg Rush tactics to do any damage and drop like flies! You use a bunch of lazy, dimwitted clones who barely have any degree of skill!" She rolls her eyes with a huff, looking at where Zero escaped, as she adds, "Your leaders are obviously incompetent. Your 'roots' can just wither and die!" She throws Igniz an angry glare.

Igniz continues his grandiose mannerism as he declares, "Ah, but as we enter other realms, we collect additional technology, and each piece makes us stronger. We will continue to grow, and we will continue to flourish. The loss of this realm will not put a dent in our progress whatsoever, as we bear more than enough power and resources to continue our campaign."

Bella sniffs, feeling confident with her friends, and replies, "The only reason why you were able to take over this realm is because of your underhanded tactics on an inexperienced nation! The fact we were able to stop you is proof of that. I agree with Kira. I call your 'power and resources' a bluff, and your campaign a dream!" She points her wrench at him threateningly as she finishes.

Igniz gives them a wary eye, not because he is afraid, but because he believes they are foolhardy. He expounds, "If you are strong as you claim, you would be wise to NOT underestimate us. Our progress is swift, and while we may have lost this battle, the war we shall initiate with your faction has yet to truly begin. As we speak, more knowledge is entering the collective mind of NESTS, and very soon, we will no longer even need this so-called 'Interdimensional Static', truly a flawed link unworthy of our consideration otherwise, to travel to other realms." Zan forms a very unnerved expression on hearing this.

Aside from Chez Shay, Kira is the least afraid of Igniz, and so she maintains the dialogue courageously, as she points at Igniz and states, "And yet, it's still so glaringly obvious to me that you actually can't comprehend the scale of your campaign."

Igniz sniffs in amusement, and boldly turns his back on them for a moment, looking out the great surrounding window. He declares, "There is nothing a god cannot comprehend, and I am testament to that. A testament to NESTS' destiny to take control of the Multiverse." He swings back around as if expecting them to try to sneak up on him, and he points right back at them, finishing with extreme disdain, "And your laughable efforts to stop us pose no real threat to our grand design."

Chez Shay, fidgeting, taps her shoulder with her Gunbrella in what is almost a nervous tic, as she mutters, "Does this guy EVER shut up?" The Beast shakes his head, a bit astounded himself.

Bridgette swipes her hand angrily as she responds to Igniz's high-handed claims, "It doesn't matter. Wherever you go, we will show up to ruin your campaign! It's our JOB to stop megalomaniacs like yourself from trying to turn the Multiverse into a personal playground!"

Igniz slowly folds his arms, giving them an amused, yet clearly contemptible look, as he proclaims, "You will come after us, indeed. Like moths to a flame. It should be obvious to you that NESTS is aware of your insignificant resistance. Did you really, in all your very limited understanding, think that the disruption of your transition to this realm was a mere coincidence or accident? We have been aware of you for quite some time, and only today did we get a chance to test some of our methods. But like cockroaches, you proved very difficult to stamp out even though we had crippled you."

Teresa's pigtails bristle slightly, and she scowls, as she snaps, "I am getting so, so SICK of being compared to BUGS by these losers!"

Igniz forms a smirk, as he expands upon the insect-themed insults, "And very much like bugs, you live in a nest of your own. A well-hidden one, yes, but once we locate it, I will see to it, with a god's vow, that your meddling, and the damage you have somehow managed to cause, is repaid in full. Your residence shall be reduced to ash, just as any infestation of irksome insects would be. A fitting punishment, for choosing to oppose NESTS: cessation of existence."

The girls are becoming steadily more roiled by his demeanor, and threatening their home is one very quick way to enrage them. Bridgette snarls, "Yeah? And if you even THINK of trying to invade our home, we'll show you what true ferocity looks like!"

Teresa, agitated just as much, exclaims, "The Amethytus Entourage is forever! And if you really think master Zan would let you bring harm to our home, you've got vapor for brains!"

Zan remains quiet. None of the girls notice the rather disturbed look on his face. It is clear they have made a new enemy this day, and an admittedly strong one. Zan never wants this. More enemies means more danger to his sanctuary, and these foes claim to be nearing the ability to travel to other dimensions the way Zan already does. He is worried. Worried that this might be the start of a new problem for his beloved Estate.

Kira, too, finds herself especially angered by Igniz's proclamation of the destruction of their home. She doesn't notice right away exactly WHY she feels such a strong sensation of protectiveness at the moment, but she does quickly respond along with the others, "YOU are the foolish one for just THREATENING my new home. I'm going to crush this hologram of yours, and the day we meet in person, I'm going to DROWN you."

Bella adds in alarmed fury, "It's bad enough that you have to endanger my original home realm, but you dare threaten my current home too?!"

Lyla and Sasha are too afraid to say anything in response. Chez Shay, however, converts her sneer into a toothy frown, looking down at Igniz in ire as she points her Gunbrella at him. She threatens, "I'm gonna give you to the count of THREE to stop talking and start dying." "HE'S A HOLOGRAM," The Beast feels the need to point out. Chez Shay rolls a hand and her eyes as she responds. "Dying, malfunctioning, whatever, GETTING OUT OF MY FACE Mr. Godami."

Igniz maintains his egotistic composure, as he utters, "Very well. Since you cannot be persuaded to abandon your reckless resistance, I shall show you the power of a god." He proceeds to give them a subtle "bring-it" gesture with his hands, keeping them low and to his sides, as he taunts, "Here is your one opening to attack me. Take it while you can, as you will not be able to do so once I begin. Strike forth, before you meet your end at the White Void."

Obliging his taunt, most of the girls lunge at him to attack. Zan flinches, and the Urgency Icon forms in his cybernetic eye. The base suddenly shudders from a blast somewhere within.

Naturally, Chez Shay is first upon him, firing her Gunbrella as rapidly as she can. The bullets rip into the hologram, and he jolts from the hits, but does nothing else. A missile from The Beast blasts him, and he staggers slightly. Kira slams a hard two-fisted ax-punch down atop him, and he hunches from the hit. She grabs him with both Ether Blob hands, jumps into the air, and slams him down atop her Ether Blob's "shoulders" when she lands, but as he bounces back up in the air from the recoil, he suddenly out lashes a lightspeed kick to strike Kira in the back of the head, sending her flying forward with a shriek to smash against a computer.

Igniz lands on his feet, and Bridgette blasts him with an orb of Plasma, jolting him. Chez Shay and The Beast blast him with more shots as well, and he jolts from these hits too. Bridgette jumps in and slashes him several times with her scythe, cutting into the hologram to damage it a bit. He suddenly sweeps a tail of his cloak up, smacking Bridgette's scythe clean out of her hand and sending it flying across the chamber. She yelps in surprise, as Igniz just stands there, giving her a cool look. She snarls at him as she blasts him with a Lightning bolt. The Beast and Chez Shay never stop shooting at him, and Zan realizes he needs to get in there to help. The Determination Icon forms in his cybernetic eye, and he flings himself over the rail separating the two floor heights to join in the attack. This gives Lyla and Sasha a measure of encouragement as well, and Lyla activates a Spear Card to start striking Igniz with the strong shots. The base shudders violently, and tilts just slightly for a moment. Kira recovers from her crash down, and looks for an attack opening, glowering in irritation.

Teresa creates a Tar Pit beneath Igniz, but he literally stands atop it, surprising and frustrating her. Several Uroktors pop out of the pit and snap at Igniz though, and Zan flies in for a hard, Plasma-empowered dropkick. All of these attacks pummel Igniz, and he jolts and staggers from the blows, but keeps silent. Bella jumps on her wrench, aiming the grappler at Igniz, and starts charging Light energy for an attack. Bridgette runs across the chamber to grab her scythe, and also starts building Plasma energy. Chez Shay, The Beast and Lyla pelt him with a storm of projectiles, and Sasha releases bombs that pop on impact with him, staggering him slightly. Bridgette swings her scythe with a snarl, releasing a spinning blade of Plasma energy, and Bella launches a VividHue Orb. Igniz suddenly holds his hands out forward, and creates a pair of large, circular barriers of white Void energy before him, causing every projectile, from Chez Shay's bullets, The Beast's missiles, Lyla's Spears, to Sasha's bombs, Bella's orb and Bridgette's flying Plasma blade, to bounce off in random directions. Bella's orb ends up blasting one of Teresa's Uroktors, and it flops back into the Tar Pit to retreat, in automatic reaction, despite not actually being hurt. The Beast's missile strikes Zan, causing him to flinch in surprise. Lyla is especially surprised that her Spear shots are deflected as well. Teresa yelps and jumps out of the way of Sasha's bomb.

Zan jumps at Igniz again and swipes a hand upward, creating a rising slash of Plasma energy that makes Igniz jolt. The Uroktors keep biting and pecking him, and Teresa flings a Bone Spear that rips through the hologram. Zan throws a hard punch that strikes him across the face and creates a Plasma blast that staggers him slightly. Zan grabs him, and slams a knee into his gut, sending him flying back, where Kira snatches him out of the air and slams him to the ground. He promptly rises to his feet, lashes out a lightspeed punch to deck Kira in the face and stagger her back, then thrusts a hand out to fire a large orb of white Void energy that blasts Zan, jolting him hard. Igniz then halts again. Zan narrows his eyes when he realizes that Igniz is holding WAY back. The others also realize this momentarily, and Chez Shay, The Beast, Kira and Bridgette are highly offended. Chez Shay leans forward, snarling viciously, "Quit SCREWING with us, you bastard!" "SCREW YOU!" The Beast adds with hatred.

Igniz just forms a small smirk. This causes Lyla to yelp in fright, "Don't encourage him!"

Igniz sweeps a hand out suddenly, and a long whip segmented with blades lashes out from the sleeve of his cloak, ripping across Kira's barrier, and she yelps in surprise. Igniz follows up with a twirling hop while spiraling the whip around himself to shred against Kira's barrier, carrying her upward with a shriek. The tip of the whip sends her flying back to crash against some railing. A Uroktor clamps onto Igniz's leg, but with a lightspeed jab, he sends the creature rolling across the floor. Chez Shay swoops in to shoot Igniz, but he swings around and lashes another nearly-invisibly-fast lightspeed kick that knocks her clean off her vacuum cleaner. The Beast snarls in angry shock. Igniz brings his hands over his head, creating a large and violently sparking orb of white Void energy, his eyes locked onto Chez Shay. She jumps to her feet, but her pupils shrink when she finds she has no time to react before Igniz flings the orb at her. Zan flies in and tackles Chez Shay out of the way of the attack, taking the hit himself, and is launched against a computer terminal, destroying it on impact. Chez Shay is temporarily stunned by the rescue. Igniz gets struck by The Beast's missiles as the doll snarls furiously. Seeing that Igniz has decided to start fighting seriously, Lyla gives Sasha a fearful look, but also nods, and Sasha forms a determined look. Lyla takes out a Bounce Card, and Sasha focuses her energy. Lyla activates the card, and Sasha projects her energy, causing the Skill Card to merge with the one Lyla is already using. She quickly starts attacking again, shaking her Tambourines, and proceeds to launch large, spiked orbs of mystic energy that fly in an arch and crash down on and around Igniz, creating blasts. This new technique surprises the group, but Igniz takes it in stride. He jolts from the hits, staggers slightly when the base shudders violently from a distant explosion, and thrusts a hand to blast The Beast with an orb that sends him flying. He notices when Teresa attempts to use Amplify Damage on him, but when it fails outright, he smirks again. Teresa grunts in frustration, resorting to creating a Bone Prison around Igniz instead. Chez Shay scrambles over to check on Zan, and grins when he just jumps to his feet. Momentarily distracted by Lyla's ability to combine Skill Cards, he scans her, and finds that she has created a "'Mortar' Fusion Skill". He is fascinated. Chez Shay, meanwhile, turns to resume shooting at Igniz, staying on her feet for now.

Igniz jolts from the shots, and lashes his bladed whip out to demolish the big spikes of bone keeping him caged. He jolts again when more of Lyla's Mortar shots hit him, and passes a targeting glance toward her. But before he does anything, Bridgette gets close enough to swing her scythe and release a Plasma Sweep, striking him. He responds by thrusting his hand forward, down low, to strike Bridgette in retaliation with a short-range burst of white Void energy, staggering her back with a yelp. Another Uroktor pops up beside Igniz, and hits him with a Tar Blob. Teresa adds to it with one of her own. Igniz makes an amused huff, as his cloak produces a pulse of white Void energy to blast the tar clean off of him. Teresa becomes more frustrated, when it seems that her beloved tar is useless against this irritating foe. Bridgette builds power, and swings her scythe down hard, flashing her backside to those behind her when her skirt flies up, and she releases a Nova that blasts through Igniz and damages all of the computers in the area. He merely jolts from the attack, but his holomatrix flickers just slightly. Kira lunges in and throws a powerful flying elbow thrust, and Bella fires a Light Blast Beam. Igniz jolts from these hits, and swings both hands to lash a pair of bladed whips out. Bella yelps when the whip slashes across her chest, her barrier being raked by the blades. Kira, however, has her Ether Blob block the attack with tough, solid arms to bolster the Contour Barrier. Zan returns to focusing on Igniz, lunges in and throws a roundhouse kick that creates a strong Plasma blast. Igniz responds by grabbing Zan with his cloak, and flinging him up the ceiling. Zan hits the ceiling hard, but also clings there for a moment. Igniz continues to be pelted by the projectiles of the ranged attackers, with Mortar shots from Lyla, a Bone Spear from Teresa, orbs of Light energy from Bella, bullets from Chez Shay, missiles from The Beast, and a Lighting bolt from Bridgette. He crosses his arms in front of himself, and everyone expects him to create deflector shields, so they halt their shots. To their surprise, Igniz follows up by swiping his hands out at angles, launching four large orbs of white Void energy instead, at Lyla, Teresa, Bella and Chez Shay. Chez Shay laughs as she jumps to the side to avoid, Teresa shrieks when she is blasted and knocked over, Bella quickly throws up a Light Screen to block it just barely in time, and Lyla's eyes widen as she sees the orb coming. She is blasted, and falls onto her back. Her Fusion Skill Card, however, withstands the hit. She screams in fright when Igniz leaps toward her with surprising speed, and flies in to lash his bladed whip down at her. Zan's eyes widen, and he launches himself down from the ceiling at Igniz. Sasha also yelps, and releases a bomb, but Igniz's whip cuts through it, and slashes against Lyla. The next instant, he is floored by a sudden Plasma-blast stamp from behind and above by Zan. Lyla scrambles to her feet, finding herself uninjured, but her Fusion Skill Card has been broken. She backs away, trembling, as Zan jumps off of Igniz.

Igniz flips to his feet, maintaining his calm expression, as he crosses his arms in front of himself once again. Four small orbs form on his cloak and the sound of rapidly-charging energy is heard. Zan only has time to brace himself before Igniz swipes his hands out and blasts Zan with four forward blasts of white Void energy, known as the Chaos Tide attack, and sends him flying back with a yell, to crash against yet another computer terminal, smashing it. Bridgette lunges in with a shriek and swings her scythe to slash Igniz, then swings it upward to create a rising blast of Lightning that pops Igniz into the air just slightly. Lyla continues to back away, but as she does, she takes out two more cards, and Sasha moves close to her. Chez Shay and The Beast move toward Igniz as they shoot at him while he is in the air, a Uroktor leaps up from below to stab him with a rising peck-tackle, and Kira moves in to attack by snatching at Igniz. But, he performs a twirl in the air, releasing his bladed whip, which strikes and wounds the Uroktor, and clashes against Kira's snatch attempt, preventing its success. She snarls, and the Uroktor dives away. Teresa, upset by the Uroktor's injury, flings a Bone Spear, and Bella releases a Cat Bullet, which starts shooting at Igniz with recursive, claw-shaped projectiles. Zan flips to his feet, and watches as Lyla combines a Decoy Card and a Seven Star Card. He scans her when she finishes, and finds that she has created a "Fourteen Comet" Fusion Skill. She doesn't have time to use it, however, before Igniz returns to the floor, elegantly landing on his feet despite being pummeled. He raises his hand to focus energy, eyes locked intently on Bridgette. She grits her teeth, then shrieks when Igniz swings the hand down, and creates a forward-racing series of column-shaped blasts of white Void energy, identified as the Aedion Blade attack. Bridgette is hit by this, and sent flying with a shriek. Zan glowers in anger. Igniz swings around and throws out another Aedion Blade attack toward Teresa, who squeals, and tries to leap out of the way, but her legs get caught by the column-shaped blasts, and she is flipped forward to smash into a terminal, where she whimpers, causing Zan's anger to rise. Chez Shay rushes in, firing her gun at Igniz, but skids to a stop when he turns, hand raised again for yet another Aedion Blade attack. Zan's eyes widen, knowing that Chez Shay will be hurt far worse than the others, and he calls out urgently, "Chez Shay! Roll Card! Now!"

Chez Shay hastily takes out and activates a Roll Card. The very next instant, the Aedion Blade attack blasts her, throwing her off to the side, and breaking her Roll Card, but it would have been far more devastating if she hadn't had that protection. The Beast roars in rage, and creates a massive missile to fling at Igniz. The blast knocks him over, and he frowns. The base shudders violently again, and a Uroktor pops up beside him. It attempts to peck him in the face, but he lashes a lightspeed punch to send the Uroktor flying. He flips to his feet as Zan lunges in, the Anger Icon in his cybernetic eye. He throws a powerful Plasma-enhanced punch, and Igniz jolts. Zan follows up with a roundhouse backhand punch, but Igniz blocks with a barrier generated by his cloak. Zan keeps going and swings a fist for a heavy punch, but Igniz parries it and slams Zan in the gut with a lightspeed knee-jab, then lashes his whip out to rake across Zan and throw him back. He slides on his feet, frowning intensely. The girls recover, getting to their feet, and prepare to resume the fight. Chez Shay jumps on her vacuum cleaner again, and glides toward Igniz. Lyla readies to attack with her as-of-yet unused Fusion Skill Card. The others draw near, brandishing their weapons. They flinch, when Igniz suddenly takes on a dynamic stance, and declares, "The warm-up is finished. It is time for you to feel the power of divine force."

The group tenses greatly. The Beast's eyes widen in slight panic as he exclaims, "IT GETS WORSE?!" Chez Shay, however, grins psychotically, and responds, "Bring it on!" Bella is far more reserved, bracing herself with her wrench held tight. Her thoughts race, (This guy... Is he this tough because he's a hologram using the base's power? Or is the man himself really this powerful? Ngh...)

Igniz rises off the ground a couple of inches, glowing with air-distorting power. Suddenly, he spreads his arms out to the sides, and lets out a shout. He discharges a powerful surge of energy that engulfs the entire command center. An incredible gravometric pressure starts up, the Gravity of the control center doubling. Everyone yelps as they hit the floor, with the fliers in particular crashing down quite suddenly. They look around in confusion. All sounds in the area become muffled and warped. The air itself becomes very distorted with a visible, continuous, downward rushing force. The group finds themselves weighing twice as much, and struggle to get to their feet. Bella, gritting her teeth, manages to climb up to stand, but finds that her wrench is too heavy to lift now, and the gravometric force is evidently overriding her wrench's anti-gravity function. She struggles with it for a moment, and whimpers. Teresa strains to her feet, her pigtails pulled downward to point straight back rather than upright. She trembles as she struggles to stand and hold her scepter. Zan climbs to his feet with only a little additional effort needed, thanks to his cybernetics giving him the strength to resist this sudden rise in Gravity. He frowns as he looks around at the suddenly harsh environment. However, and he wouldn't say this out loud, but he finds himself fascinated by what Igniz has done. Bridgette, too, manages to struggle to her feet, but finds her scythe just barely wieldy now. She struggles to lift it, and growls in frustration. Kira just barely stands up, and finds her Ether Blob squashed like a pancake. She, too, feels somewhat fascinated by this artificial atmospheric condition Igniz has invoked, and notices that her Ether Blob is still able to move quite freely, even if squished down to half its normal height. Chez Shay hits the floor hard when the Gravity increase begins. She climbs to her feet, and finds that she can't use her vacuum cleaner to fly anymore. She glowers, snarling. Then she hears The Beast grunting and groaning in frustration. She notices that he is completely pinned to the floor, and can't move. He struggles and strains, but simply cannot get up. He finally lets out an exasperated snarl that has just a hint of fear to it. Chez Shay watches in confusion, and mild amusement, as The Beast just gives up and lays there, pinned down. Sasha, also, finds herself completely pinned down. She squeals in distress, wiggling helplessly, her oil lamp shell unable to rise into the air. Finally, she just whimpers, and retreats into her shell to hide. Lyla, her heart racing in shock, slowly climbs to her feet, struggling to stand. She suddenly feels something hit the floor at her ankles, and notices when everyone flinches and looks at her in surprise. She looks down, and finds that her pants, which must have literally been floating at her waist, have hit the floor. Her entire nether area is rendered exposed, especially due to her lack of underwear, as a result. She quickly forms a luminescent blush, reaches down, and tries to pull her pants back up, but they promptly hit the floor again afterward. She whimpers in frustration, and looks at everyone with strong embarrassment. Bella and Teresa continue to stare in surprise, Kira snerks with amusement, Chez Shay starts laughing, and Bridgette snickers, unable to help also passing a look at Zan, who is just surprised at the sudden sexy sight. Igniz, too, becomes distracted for a moment. He looks upon Lyla with a controlled expression of pleasure, and announces, "Well, this is certainly an unexpected result." Lyla's blush strengthens, and Igniz continues, "Even I have to acknowledge such an eye-catching sight. Not to mention such divine lack of underwear!" He then turns his attention elsewhere, to look at the others, with a smug look, as he states, "But it will hardly succeed as a distraction, if that were your intention."

Zan takes a single step, and when his foot touches down, it produces a surprisingly loud thud, making the others flinch. Zan continues to step forward, his footsteps thudding as though he weighed four-hundred pounds. Bridgette takes a step forward too, and her footstep is nearly as loud, as she drags her scythe beside her. Chez Shay shakily raises her Gunbrella, and fires it at Igniz, but her bullets dart straight to the floor the moment they leave the barrel. She stares in shock, then grits her teeth in an angry scowl. Teresa shakily raises her scepter, and swings it down so hard she nearly throws herself forward. She casts forth a Tar Blob that instantly hits the floor, and she flops forward to end up face-first in it. She quickly gets to her knees and sputters. She also happens to notice when a Uroktor tries to emerge from a Tar Hole near her, only to be instantly pulled back down into the hole with a yelp and be unable to surface. She is distressed by this, when she realizes her Uroktors can't help her yet again. She begins to sweat in fear. Kira inches toward Igniz, her footsteps muffled by her Ether Blob being around her feet. She saw Chez Shay fail in her attempt to shoot Igniz, so doesn't bother to take out her FN-P90. Bella gives up on her wrench for now, storing it in her personal pocket dimension instead, and takes out her Compression Phaser Rifle, which she can just barely hold straight. She fires a shot, and finds its beam unaffected by the rise in Gravity. Igniz, who has been observing as the group struggles, sees the shot coming and sidesteps it, completely unaffected by the rise of Gravity, which means he can move as swift as always. Lyla looks down past her shapely body at her pants around her ankles. She wants to keep helping the group. She does not want to fall back into uselessness again. But, she can't hold her pants up with one hand, and fight at the same time, as she has to use both hands to wield her Tambourines in tandem to attack. She closes her eyes, and takes a deep breath.

Igniz observes as the group slowly adapts to the situation, and proclaims, "Impressed, are you not? My powers over Gravity are proof of my divinity: A god of the Void." "Stop YAKKING already!" Chez Shay is extremely quick to shout in angry reaction.

Kira slowly, steadily inches toward Igniz, and retorts, "Big deal! I've seen technology do the same thing! I'll be impressed if the REAL MAN can do this! Or not."

Bella fires her Compression Phaser Rifle at Igniz again, but he dodges again, irritating her. She does, however, feel her confidence maintaining, as she can still fight. She exclaims over the audio distortions caused by the gravometric pressure, "Everyone! It looks like energy attacks still work!"

Zan nods, and shouts in reply, "That makes sense! Energy isn't affected by Gravity!"

Bridgette, slowly dragging her scythe while stepping forward with thuds, complains, "The problem is, I can just barely move! Ergh!" She stops stepping to pant, and ends up storing her scythe to free up her hands.

Igniz looks around amidst the group as they slowly move toward him, keeping up his arrogant attitude, as he utters, "Struggle as you may, you shall not prevail now that I have begun my-" He suddenly gets blasted by fourteen sky-blue orbs that crash in on him all at once, and jolts in surprise, reacting, "Mmph?!"

He quickly looks at the source, along with everyone else, to see that Lyla has stepped out of her pants, leaving them on the floor behind her. She is slowly walking toward Igniz with thudding footsteps, her Tambourines aimed at him, shaking them. While bottomless. Her outfit, which was already skimpy, now consists entirely of just her minuscule, purple scale bikini top, her little shoes, and her jewelry. In addition, her hat, which normally sits heavily canted on the back of her head to defy gravity as well, has been adjusted to sit center atop her head. Igniz's eyes widen in amazement, and he simply has to acknowledge, "...Even if some of you have such boldness as to face a divine opponent in a state of ninety-percent nudity..."

Chez Shay now has a wide, impressed grin, and she thrusts a fist upward as she cheers, "Whoo-hoo! Go for it, desert-dancer girl!" Her eyes take in the sight of Lyla's remarkably impressive and balanced skin tone, and she adds, "...Flaunt that lack of tan-lines! HAHAHAHA!" The Beast, who can still look around, has a particularly good worm's-eye view, and he cheers in addition, "STRUT YOUR STUFF!"

Bella, Teresa and Bridgette are amazed. Kira finds herself unadmittedly impressed. Sasha peeks out of her oil lamp shell to find out what the rowdiness is about, and her mouth drops open when she sees Lyla's bottomlessness. She says nothing, however, because she still can't move, and Igniz is still nearby. She ends up hiding inside her shell again. Zan, for his part, cannot ignore how arousing this is, considering how beautiful Lyla's body is, but finds himself also impressed by Lyla's determination to keep helping the group, even at the cost of what little modesty she apparently has. This is likely what the others are impressed by as well. Lyla has a potent blush and an extremely flustered look, but she keeps her Tambourines aimed at Igniz, shaking them, and fires off another volley of fourteen comet-like orbs to blast the distracted holographic man. This action resets the focus of the situation back to what it is: a serious battle. The others press forth to resume the battle as well in any way they can.

Zan starts into an inordinately loud dash toward Igniz, his steps thudding like a stampeding herd of cattle. As he charges, Bridgette thrusts a hand to fling a bolt of Lightning, which is also unaffected by Gravity. Igniz dodges the attack, but gets shot by a beam from Bella's Compression Phaser Rifle. Teresa flings a Bone Spear, which flies as quickly as always, and she smiles, seeing that she can still help. Igniz is hit by this as well, and is blasted again by Lyla's Fourteen Comet shots. Zan is upon him, and attempts to throw a jump kick, but instantly lands on the floor instead with a very loud thud. Igniz scoffs, and lashes his whip out to slash Zan, who yelps as his Barrier flickers more noticeably from the damage, combined with struggling against the high Gravity. He rolls his eyes, silently chastising himself for trying a stupid stunt like jumping in double gravity. Igniz is blasted by another Fourteen Comet volley, Bone Spear, Lightning bolt and Phaser Beam, and Zan uses the opening to thrust a hand to fire Plasma Orbs at Igniz instead, landing a few hits before Igniz blocks the rest. Kira reaches Igniz finally, and her Ether Blob throws a powerful uppercut, which hits him and knocks him back slightly, but the Ether Blob instantly collapses back into its squashed state afterward, leaving Kira quite vulnerable. Lyla takes cautious steps, only barely able to walk, though her bottomlessness gives her a curious sensation of freedom. She fires another huge volley of Fourteen Comets to pelt Igniz. Chez Shay watches this, amused by Lyla's bravery, then flinches when she remembers that she, too, has Skill Cards. While she can't fuse them like Lyla apparently can, they will still make her able to attack Igniz at least, due to being of energy, which can defy the rise in Gravity. She takes out a Wave Card, activates it, and starts shooting at him. The big, green energy shots fly freely amidst the high Gravity, and Chez Shay forms her excited, psychotic grin again. She starts stomping toward Igniz as well, shooting at him rapidly. Bridgette, Bella and Teresa continue to fling Lighting bolts, phaser shots and Bone Spears at him, and slowly take heavy steps to move around and toward him. Igniz, for his part, finds the sudden assault of projectiles unexpected, and the relentlessness of Bella's group irritating. Or perhaps, from his perspective, blasphemous. Kira and Zan move in to attack in melee once again, and Igniz furrows his brow.

Suddenly, Igniz's cloak surges with white Void energy. All of the girls' currently-incoming projectiles scatter away from him. Ignoring the glowing of Igniz's cloak, Kira's Ether Blob lashes out to hit him with a backhand strike, but he throws a lightspeed kick to clash with the attack, and follows up with three more lightspeed kicks to strike Kira's head, causing her to yelp in fright and leaving her open to attack. Igniz immediately follows up with twin lashes of his whip to slash Kira, her barrier flickering violently from the strong hits. He snaps the whips on her to finish, their tips touching to create a big burst of white Void energy, launching Kira back with a scream and heavily damaging her barrier. Zan grits his teeth in anger, and lunges at him, only for Igniz to swing around and ram Zan with a hard shove, stunning him, and Igniz folds his arms up. His cloak itself proceeds to rapidly barrage Zan with a series of strong thrusting jabs, and Zan yelps and jolts as he gets pummeled, his barrier flickering erratically. The attack is swift, sudden, and no one has time to react before Igniz finishes with a strong upward sweep of his cloak to slam Zan, popping him straight up into the air. He promptly flops back to the ground due to the high Gravity and lets out a hard grunt, his Contour Barrier flickering from the damage. The next instant, Igniz darts up before Teresa with supernatural speed. She squeals in fright and flings another Bone Spear. He thrusts a hand out to create a barrier that deflects the Bone Spear directly back at her, and when it hits, she jolts, her teary eyes wide with shock. Igniz acts at the same time, as he holds both hands up, creating two small orbs of white Void energy. He swings them both down simultaneously, and a pair of Aedion Blade attacks rush through Teresa in an "X" formation with her in the center, making her Contour Barrier spark brightly, launching her back, and against a largely ruined computer terminal, ruining it further. She emits quiet whimpers and whispers Zan's name as tears and sweat roll. Bella shrieks when Igniz appears before her, folds his arms up, and eight orbs of white Void energy form at focal points around him. In two blasts of four, he hits Bella with Chaos Tide twice, the second one sending her flying back against the central wall of the chamber, and she lets out a very hard grunt as she quickly drops into a sitting position, her Contour Barrier flickering visibly. Without missing a beat, Igniz lunges at the inward-rushing Chez Shay as she shoots at him. She yells when he appears right in front of her, shoots him twice more with Wave shots, and yelps, her eyes widening, when he thrusts a hand right into her face, and blasts her point blank with one, then two, then four large white Void orbs, the first of which breaks her Wave Card, the rest inflicting actual damage. She cries out as she is pummeled, and Igniz finishes by blasting her back and onto the floor with another Chaos Tide attack. Chez Shay groans in pain. Igniz turns, darts, and gets right in front of Bridgette before she has time to comprehend what is happening. She shrieks, and thrusts a hand to zap him with Voltage, which he ignores as he holds his hand over his head to create a huge, sparking orb of white Void energy, and brings it down on Bridgette for a mighty blast that topples her instantly. Her short skirt flies up as she flops over, Igniz notices her lack of underwear too, and arches an eyebrow in reaction. All of these attacks took place in less than thirty seconds, and Igniz moves to make the final strike, appearing in front of Lyla, who screams in fright, and fires another Fourteen Comet attack upon him. He responds by creating a series of barriers with his cloak to block the entire attack, then lashes his whip out to cut across Lyla's chest, damaging, but not immediately breaking her Fusion Skill Card. He suddenly pauses. Already, Kira, Zan, Teresa, Bella and Bridgette are struggling to get back up, though the mighty attacks and the fatigue of carrying their own doubled weight has greatly increased the difficulty. Zan sees Igniz strike Lyla, and a look of alarm forms on his already distressed face. There is a brief lull, as Igniz allows his eyes to look down, then up her very attractive, bronze-skinned and smooth body, that indeed lacks any tan-lines. But only once does he do this, and when he focuses his cruel eyes upon her trembling ones, he quietly declares, "Were it not for the fact I am already wed to a woman of equal beauty, I would spare you outright. Nevertheless, I shall show you a measure of mercy, as a form of indemnification for your gracing these divine eyes with such a pleasurable sight."

Lyla whimpers nonetheless, as Igniz crosses his arms to charge for a Chaos Tide attack. Zan frowns urgently, and Lyla shrieks when she is blasted by the attack, her Fusion Skill Card breaking. She flies back, and Igniz raises a hand for an Aedion Blade attack, when Zan's Tractor Beam lashes in and snatches Lyla, yanking her out of the path of the attack just before Igniz launches it. He blinks, and looks, seeing everyone slowly climbing to their feet, their weapons and powers at the ready to resume attacking, though it is clear they are very weakened. Lyla clings fearfully to Zan, who is kneeling for the moment. He keeps an arm around her as he thrusts his other hand to release another Tractor Beam, which grabs the injured Chez Shay. He yanks her over to his side as well, and gives Lyla a stern look. She trembles as she nods, and takes out a Health Potion from her pocket dimension, which does not require pants to work. She hands it to Chez Shay, who gulps it sloppily. Igniz turns to face the group, and scowls when they open fire on him once again. Bella fires her Compression Phaser Rifle, upset at his brutality. Teresa flings Bone Spears, though she is quite fearful. Bridgette launches Lightning bolts, while seething. Kira works her Ether Blob hard to move toward him faster despite the heavy gravity. Chez Shay suddenly springs out of Zan's hold, the Health Potion finished, and roars in rage as she activates a Spear Card to fire the powerful shots. Zan gets to his feet too, Lyla remains clinging to him, and watches as he shoots at Igniz with Plasma Orbs.

Igniz calls up barriers with his cloak to block the storm of shots, and sighs. He states with mild exasperation, "Why must you continue to defy me? You merely delay the inevitable."

Zan, stern-faced and Determination Icon in his cybernetic eye, growls, "We will fight for as long and as hard as we must to defeat foes like you."

Bella fires her rifle, teeth gritted in resolve, and exclaims, "I am NOT giving up! I have come TOO far to give up! I WILL save Eihemland!"

Kira stomps toward Igniz, snarling, "YOU are just delaying the inevitable!"

Chez Shay, enraged at the damage she has sustained, swings her Gunbrella around despite the high gravity, as she roars, "I'M GONNA PUNCH YOU FULLA HOLES, BASTARD!"

The Beast wiggles feebly on the floor, extremely pent-up with hysterical energy, but all he can do is shout, "GET'EM! GET'EM!"

Sasha timidly peeks out of her oil lamp again.

Igniz finds himself half-amused, half-amazed at their tenacity, and announces with grating swagger, "Very well. You leave me no choice. Even now I have been holding back. The time of your end, is nigh."

His cloak surges with energy much like when he first started the gravometric surge. Suddenly the air becomes EXTREMELY distorted, a tremendous downward-rushing force fills the chamber, crushing all of the damaged computer terminals and even some of the undamaged ones, bending, warping and breaking the railings and other more fragile objects, and making everyone scream as they instantly flatten out on the floor. Bella flops down onto her front and screams. Teresa flops onto her side, screams in pain and manages to shift onto her back to take the pressure off of her ribs. Bridgette hits the floor front-down and shrieks. Kira crashes down onto her back and screams, her Ether Blob reduced to a fine paste all around her. Chez Shay hits the floor front first and becomes extremely dizzy from the unshielded impact, struggling to stay conscious and being the only one who actually stays silent. Sasha squeals fearfully as she retreats into her oil lamp shell again. The Beast's mouth is pulled wide and his lips flap as though a mighty gale were billowing against his face. Zan and Lyla crash down, with her facing up, him coming down on top of her, and she grunts in pain as though a sandbag just fell on her, Zan's head ending up beside hers. Her blush remains though. Everyone's Contour Barriers glow strongly, as though taking continuous damage, and within a few seconds, the barriers crash with that dreadful bursting noise they make. The group continues to scream, their fear spiking with the crash of their Contour Barriers. The gravity of the chamber, is now quadrupled. Igniz looms large over the group with a malicious sneer.

Bella slowly, shakily, lifts her head to look at Igniz, and sees him floating over the group, eyes glowing, looking a little too much like a god he so claims to be. It reminds her of the exact expression she saw on his face in her vision, and the sight terrifies her to the same degree she felt during the vision. After all the effort they've put forth, it is as though it were truly all for naught, and that the results of her vision may simply be inescapable. The pressure is crushing, without her Contour Barrier, and she begins to have difficulty breathing. She then looks out the window, seeing only sky outside at the moment. She feebly reaches toward the window, her arm stuck to the floor, her thoughts only able to come to one conclusion, (Palindrome... Help me... I'm gonna die...)

Igniz watches them for a moment as they scream in distress, and disregards Bella's gesture. His eyes widen, however, when Zan, ever so slowly, pushes himself up, first onto all fours, to get his weight off of Lyla. She gazes up at him with a strong blush, and Zan gives her a soft, apologetic look, as he shakes and rattles very violently, his cybernetic eye glowing fiercely with the Determination Icon. Igniz stares in complete disbelief as Zan slowly crawls backwards to get out from over Lyla. He can't lift his head up any more than aligned with his back as long as he is on all fours, and Lyla's blush intensifies when, for just a moment, Zan's downward gaze passes over her exposed femininity. Zan finishes backing up, getting out from over Lyla, still shaking against the violently tremendous force, and ever so slowly draws up a foot to get into a kneeling position. A prideful sneer spreads across Igniz's face, as he declares, "Ahh, I see you have finally learned to show proper respect to a god."

Zan slowly, with a rattling voice, responds in great anger, "You... are... not..." Shaking violently, he stands up, and finishes, "a... god!" He thrusts a hand to fire a Plasma Orb, which strikes Igniz, rendering him completely astonished.

His astonishment lasts for only a moment however. Then he frowns, and with a huff, states, "...Hmph. Defiant to the end. Your defiance has sealed your doom."

He thrusts a hand and blasts Zan with an orb of white Void energy, instantly flooring him again, and Zan cries out in pain from the very harsh, and unshielded, impact. Igniz raises his hands over his head as he loudly and haughtily proclaims, "Prepare yourself, mortal vermin who would dare defy NESTS." He creates a large black orb over his head, and continues, "Prepare yourself for the ultimate honor. It has been a LONG time since I have had to use this attack!" The orb suddenly fills with a miniature galaxy, and he finishes his speech, "I shall purge you from existence, with the single strike, of the Galaxy Destroyer!"

The girls scream in horror, knowing that a move like that certainly will annihilate them. Igniz rears back to fling the orb. A very loud mechanical groan suddenly fills the chamber, piercing through the muffling effect of the gravometric pressure, causing Igniz to flinch. Especially so, when a shadow fills the chamber. The girls stop screaming as well, when they, and Igniz, who turns to look back, see Palindrome, "looking" into the control center from right outside the window, its massive cannon already aimed and charged. Bella forms a soft smile, tears in her eyes, as relief overcomes her. Igniz only has time to stare in shock, before Palindrome fires its massive super laser directly into the command center, blowing a huge hole in the window wall in the process. The beam nails Igniz, and he yells in distress, his attack interrupted and the galaxy orb just simply disappearing. The beam engulfs the group too, as they were right in its path. The next instant after, the gravometric surge is terminated. Palindrome's beam ends, leaving that section of the command center ruined. In response to the sudden termination of the gravometric pressure, the group, unharmed by Palindrome's beam, bounces high into the air for just a moment, then flops back to the ground as though the floor they were laying on suddenly hit the ceiling it felt like it was racing toward. Igniz is on a knee, his holomatrix crackling and flickering, but it shortly stabilizes, and he stands up. He watches the group climb to their feet. Teresa promptly glomps Zan and lets out a highly distressed squeal, causing everyone to flinch, and he holds her tight. They all look at each other in a brief moment of relief. Then, they turn their heads slowly, simultaneously, and with glares almost as evil as Igniz is, look at him. The flash of their Contour Barriers reactivating and regenerating puts a nearly-equally evil smile on their faces. Igniz is not one to normally be intimidated, but that is enough to send a chill down his holographic spine. The Beast flies up into the air, snarling incoherently and flailing about. Sasha slowly rises into the air, crying happily. The entire base shudders from a blast emitting from only a couple of levels below them...

Bella swaps out her Compression Phaser Rifle for her wrench and hops on. Teresa lets go of Zan and fixes her pigtails. Zan punches a fist into a hand, and his cybernetics glow. Bridgette takes out her scythe and sparks violently with Voltage. Kira's Ether Blob returns to normal and she jumps into it. Chez Shay's Gunbrella has double-upgraded to rocket launcher mode instantly, and she jumps on her vacuum cleaner. The Beast continues to flail about, snarling. Lyla takes out a pair of Skill Cards: Bubble, and Wave, and fuses them, creating the "Boomerang" Fusion Skill. Sasha rises farther up into the air, seeing a storm coming.

Without a word. Without an announcement, a declaration, or even just a shout, the group launches into an assault on Igniz like a pack of enraged Kig-Yar Skirmishers. Chez Shay gets first hits, spraying a swarm of rockets that barrage Igniz until he can get a barrier up. Lyla, who ignores, for now, the option to retrieve her pants, choosing to remain bottomless, and still sporting a luminescent blush, shakes her Tambourines vigorously, releasing flying ring-shaped projectiles that, when they rip through Igniz, curve back to hit him several more times. Teresa swings her scepter out, launching a Bone Spear AND having two Tar Pits form on either side of Igniz, from which a bunch of Uroktors leap out, to start striking him with jabs of their beaks. He kicks one, but gets pecked by another. He lashes his whip at that one, but Zan jumps in and slams a Plasma-empowered flying kick to Igniz's face, staggering him back, where he is pierced by another Bone Spear from Teresa. Kira grabs him from behind, jumps into the air, and brings him crashing down in a pile driver. He rights himself and launches an Aedion Blade at Kira, but she blocks the attack, Zan strikes Igniz with a Plasma burst from both hands, Bridgette blasts Igniz with her own bolt of Plasma, Lyla's ring boomerangs strike him continuously, and Teresa hits him with yet another Bone Spear. The Uroktors continue to harass him, the two Tar Pits remaining open as a quick means for them to move around. Bella hangs back, grinning like a cat, building a charge of Light in her wrench's grappler. Chez Shay continues to barrage Igniz with rockets, and Bridgette calls down a series of bolts of Plasma to strike him. He lashes his whip out to slash Zan, but he counters with two swipes of his hand to strike Igniz with a Plasma cross, and thrusts the other hand in a strong uppercut to create a huge, ground-sliding wave of Plasma. Kira grabs Igniz again and punches him several times, while Lyla's ring boomerangs cut through him and Chez Shay's rockets barrage him. Igniz's cloak discharges white Void energy to free him from Kira's grip, and lashes out to strike her with thrusting jabs, but Bridgette leaps in with a shriek, slashing her scythe down on him, then swinging it upward to blast him with rising Voltage again, knocking him into the air, where some Uroktors hit him with tar, Bridgette bellows intense flames suddenly from her free hand to create a tar-fueled explosion, Zan leaps and performs a Plasma-empowered roundhouse kick to send him toward Kira, and she snatches him mid-air to slam him on the floor. Teresa is reminded of something when she sees the tar blast, and a sinister little look forms in her eyes. Her Uroktors sense this, and retreat from the battle.

Igniz immediately rights himself and creates a huge orb of white Void energy, smashing it down on Kira and knocking her back, then thrusts a hand to fire a series of white Void orbs at Lyla and Chez Shay. The latter laughs like a lunatic as she blocks the shots by opening her Gunbrella, and Lyla dives to the side to avoid them. Bella swoops in at this moment, a huge charge built up in her wrench, and with a triumphant yell, she fires a beam that is at least a tenth as powerful as Palindrome's super laser. The beam ends after a moment, being followed up with a big blast of Light, knocking Igniz over. He flips up once again, and launches a pair of crossing Aedion Blades that strike Bella and throw her off her wrench with a yelp. Teresa responds by shouting, not Bella's name, but Chez Shay's. She looks at her with wild eyes, and Teresa points at the Tar Pits, causing Chez Shay's grin to widen to almost distorted proportions. She nods, but doesn't take out hand grenades, instead firing her rockets into the pits. The subsequent blasts shatter all of the remaining window walls on that half of the command center, and ruin everything else in it, but the blasts do not inflict any harm on Bella's group. The Igniz hologram, however, is heavily damaged, his holomatrix flickering badly for a moment from the blasts. During this assault, Zan grabs Bridgette and gazes at her very intently. She blushes, but recognizes the familiar expression with the Determination Icon, and she grins. The two begin to surge with Plasma energy, causing joy to spread to the others. Igniz quickly responds by creating a big sparking orb of white Void energy to throw at the two, but doesn't hit them in time before they initiate a Photon Spark. They get launched by his attack, as five huge bolts of Plasma arc across the room, passing through Igniz and making him jolt with each strike. The huge orb forms in the air over him, and casts Plasma bolts at everything, with a focus on him, wreaking havoc. After several seconds, the orb bursts into a violent column of Plasma around Igniz that churns for several more seconds, blitzing him with damage, then fades out, and Igniz is blasted by one more big bolt of Plasma. He shudders, and his holographic projection flickers for a bit again. But he remains strong, and lets out an arrogant huff. He flinches, when Kira darts in and grabs him from behind, swings him over herself in a suplex, which she repeats back the other way, yelling viciously the entire time. Keeping a firm grip on him, she continues by leaping into the air and slamming him down in a pile driver once, then again, yelling with power, and once more when she leaps higher to bring him crashing down in an explosive, spinning pile driver that sends him flying. He hits the floor. And rises to his feet. The group is quickly becoming frustrated that nothing can bring him down. Palindrome, lurking outside the window, just observes. The base shudders violently from yet another explosion within.

Igniz lunges at Kira and slashes her with his whip, though she blocks it with her Ether Blob. He swings the whip about to try and cut through her guard, and finishes with a snap that produces a burst of white Void energy, jolting Kira and throwing her back with a yelp. Igniz swings around and creates a barrier to block Chez Shay's, Lyla's, Teresa's and Bella's projectiles, and his cloak creates a large burst of energy that sends their shots scattering all around. They jump, duck and dive to avoid being hit by the reflected shots. Igniz's guard is interrupted when three Uroktors leap out of Tar Holes behind him and smash heavy pecks against him from behind. He staggers forward, then lunges at Zan, who jumps to his feet and moves between him and Bridgette when he sees him coming. Igniz lashes his whip out, but Zan snatches the whip between the blades, and Igniz flinches. He lashes out a second whip, but Zan grabs that one as well, and the two start struggling against each other's strength. The girls close in, preparing to help Zan break the parry-struggle with Igniz, when the latter is blasted by a rocket-propelled bomb that creates a very big blast, and jolts Igniz with quite some force. The girls and Zan flinch, look, and see The Beast, wielding Sasha, as they swoop in to save the day. Zan yanks Igniz in and kicks him, staggering him back, where he is blasted by more of the little duo's violently explosive projectiles. The Beast roars ferociously, and Sasha squeals faux-ferociously, as they fire their surprisingly powerful ballistics. Each blast staggers Igniz. He tries to create a barrier, but they utilize their small, quick size to dart to another side and blast him with another explosive shot. He staggers back, and the girls start cheering the two on. Zan smiles with confidence, and the Uroktors remain rowdy. The Beast snarlingly exclaims, "THIS IS FOR MAKING US SIT THAT FIGHT OUT, BASTARD!" "This is for hurting our friends!" Sasha squeals as vengefully as she can.

They blast and blast Igniz, and he can't react to their swift, violent assault, being staggered into the center of the ruined control center. Finally, with a twin yell and surging with mystic energy, The Beast and Sasha create three huge rocket-propelled bombs, which fly circles around Igniz for a moment, then swing inward to strike him and create a blast on par with one of Teresa's Tar Pit explosions. The blast is so mighty it blows a hole in the ceiling, and debris rains down from above for several seconds. Bella's group cheers again, and The Beast and Sasha look at each other. He has a psychotic grin, she has a satisfied smile. Chez Shay slaps the side of her face in amazement, then gestures outward as she shouts, "Holy CRAP! Why can't WE produce explosions that big when we work together, huh?!"

When the dust settles, the Igniz hologram is laying amidst the rubble that collapsed from above. The group tenses, then shifts into shock, when he slowly rises to his feet, his holomatrix flickering occasionally. He frowns angrily at them, and they respond with incredible frustration. With a very loud whine, Bella reacts, "...What does it TAKE to bring this guy down?!" The answer arrives the next moment...

Readying to engage each other again, an extremely loud crash interrupts the fight, when Kira's Abyssal Lagiacrus smashes up through the floor with a mighty roar, making everyone jump, then smile brightly. The Uroktors start yapping excitedly and clapping their beaks. The creature lands with a floor-shaking thud right beside the group, and lets out a low growl, crackling with electricity that makes any of the remaining functional terminals start sparking and glitching. Igniz stares at it, wide-eyed, as the monstrous creature looks at him with brightly-sparking eyes filled with anger. Kira's eyes go wide at the sight, and she boisterously cackles, "HAAHAAHAAHAA! Good to see you! DEMOLISH HIM! DESTROY HIM!" She thrusts to point at Igniz repeatedly.

The Abyssal Lagiacrus lets out an air-distorting roar that actually manages to put a look of fear on Igniz's holographic face, and the surge of Voltage causes his holomatrix to begin flickering constantly. The creature charges at him, and Igniz leaps into the air to lash out a whip, that slashes the creature, but only barely scratches its hide. It snaps him into its mouth and slams him into the floor, where it smashes a foot onto Igniz, and his holomatrix flickers more. The group clusters together to cheer the Lagiacrus on as it mangles Igniz. He shoots it in the chin with an orb of white Void energy, and it jolts mildly, then smashes him to the side with a swipe of the same foot, sending electrical surges through Igniz's holomatrix and destabilizing it further. He rights himself as he flies, and with distressed eyes, he lunges at the Lagiacrus, slamming into it. He jumps back, lashes out his whip several times to slash it, barrages it with jabs from his cloak, hits it with a Chaos Tide blast, and smashes down a big sparking orb of white Void energy. The Abyssal Lagiacrus, for its part, does jolt from the assault, but crackles more and more violently with Voltage from each hit, which damages Igniz's holomatrix with each strike that makes direct contact. Igniz desperately flings a pair of crossing Aedion Blades at it as well, but the Lagiacrus ignores this as it focuses Voltage into its mouth, and retaliates by blasting Igniz with a series of extremely powerful, blue Lightning bolts that severely damage his holomatrix, which is now flickering very badly. Igniz rises into the air, teeth gritted, eyes wide in alarm, and creates a big black orb over his head. The Abyssal Lagiacrus simply snaps him out of the air with its jaws, before he can even come close to using the attack, electrocutes him severely, slams him to the floor, and pelts him with several more electric bolts from its mouth. Igniz's holomatrix finally begins to malfunction, and he writhes violently from the mighty strikes. He slowly rises to his feet, but looks at himself as various parts of his projection flicker, flash and distort. He looks at the group, who watch him carefully but confidently, and he scowls. Sparking, malfunctioning, warping, distorting, both visually and audibly, the Igniz-Hologram speaks, "...I m-st relent. Even go-o-o-dz know their liVVita-ns. REjo-o-iceCHK, mor-ls. You CHCCK hav-v-ve achievvvVVVDT a KRK meazzzzur- of sucKKKcessZZzz." His holomatrix glitches out and his cloak disappears.

Kira, quite worn out, stares at him in astonishment, and remarks, "STILL with the god-complex after being beat up by my glorious Lagiacrus?" The Lagiacrus snorts. "What YOU have is a severe case of dumbassery," Kira finishes, folding her arms.

The Igniz-Hologram's malfunctions worsen, and he cracklingly proclaims with the usual grandiose gestures, "ButGRK knowVVT this: Y- havVVSSHTe on-y sealCHKK yo- faVVT from this ACT ovvv trezzzpa-. You GRKT wi- suffFFVVTer ret-bu-on soooOOONNNGKT enouVVT." His holomatrix glitches further, and his left eye, arm and leg disappear.

Chez Shay is exhausted, but satisfied with their victory, and responds, "You do NOT know when to shut up, do you?! You've LOST!" "SHADDAP AND BREAK DOWN!" The Beast snarls in addition.

Teresa, very tired, but fully confident again, puts one arm akimbo as she points her scepter at him and taunts, "LOOOSERR!"

The Igniz-Hologram's malfunctions are nearly total, he locks up so that he can't move, but still declares, if sputteringly, "NETHTTH wULLL b- lookNIG VVor -u. OnZZT w- haVVTHTCK mash-red int-rd-m-ns-n-l tr-VVvll, w- w-ll f-ndZZP -u, -ndt hvvv -r -vengCK, K-k-rush-nig -uOOK -nd-r -r heelURK, and-" "SHUT UP ALREADY!" Everyone simultaneously shouts as hard as they can, some with angry gestures. The Lagiacrus roars at the Igniz hologram, and the Uroktors yap at him.

The violently flickering and warping Igniz-Hologram gives the group a calm, but dissatisfied look. He opens his mouth to speak once more, but a surge of glitching takes over and his vocal functions break down.

At long last, the Igniz-Hologram crashes completely, in a surprisingly destructive blast of digital light particles. The group watches as the particles pour excitedly into the walls and floor of the control center, and into the remains of the terminals. A quiet sets in, and the group sighs. The moment lasts a fraction of a second, when a loud alarm starts up, and the entire base starts to shudder and tremble violently. The sounds of blasts fill the air, and the terminals that remain in the control center start exploding as well. The entire base starts to list left and right, and the girls shriek and look around frantically. The Uroktors promptly leave via Tar Holes. As Kira looks around in fright, she exclaims, "What the heck?! Another self-destruct sequence?!"

Bella dodges a blast from a nearby terminal, jumping away from it toward Zan, and shouts, "I half expected this!"

Teresa staggers, barely able to stay on her feet from the quaking of the base. She looks frightfully at Zan and squeals, "MASTER?!"

Bridgette promptly falls onto her rump, groans in annoyance, and remarks, "This is getting old!" "OLDER THAN DIRT!" The Beast adds for some reason, though Bridgette just nods in irritated agreement.

Chez Shay, as usual, is not really afraid, and is looking around in excitement, as she comments with a laugh, "I guess NESTS just loves explosions as much as I do!"

Lyla just shrieks, dropping to her knees and covering her head. Sasha moves close, shrieking too. Even the Abyssal Lagiacrus looks around in alarm. Zan holds a hand to his cybernetic temple, the Scan Icon in his eye. His flesh eye shortly shows alarm of its own, which frightens the girls, and he urgently explains, "Not a normal self-destruct sequence, but a cataclysmic feedback surge from the destruction of the Igniz hologram! It was drawing from all of the base's power sources, and now the surge is overloading them. The entire base is going to explode, and my scans indicate we have only TWENTY SECONDS to get out!" He looks up at them with a now stern, if very urgent look, and the Amethytus girls nod with fearful grunts.

Chez Shay busts out laughing insanely, while Lyla starts to panic. They notice, however, as the Amethytus girls focus. Kira scrambles over to and rests a hand on her Abyssal Lagiacrus' leg, which she doesn't even come up to the knee of. She speaks very hastily and without emotion, "Good job. I am proud of you. Go home now." The Abyssal Lagiacrus just nods, knowing this is no time to heckle Kira's attitude. It rears up, a pool of black water forms in front of it, and it dives in head first to leave the realm.

Bella reaches lovingly toward Palindrome, who is still floating outside the window to observe, and she says, "Thank you, Palindrome... I will see you later!" Palindrome emits a mechanical groan, turns, and flies away, disappearing through a distortion in the air.

Bridgette closes her eyes and focuses her thoughts. Teresa does the same. Elsewhere in the base, the Amethyst Acklay and Tar Agnaktor hear Bridgette's and Teresa's thoughts, thanking them for their help, and commanding them to leave for home. They acknowledge, and do so, the Amethyst Acklay converting back into a big purple crystal spike that retracts into the ground. The Tar Agnaktor performs a huge backflip to leave via an equally huge Tar Hole, its Uroktor minions doing the same in miniature. Bridgette and Teresa look at Zan, and nod in confirmation, when they finish.

He nods in response, whips out his GravBoard and jumps on. Teresa does the same. Kira stores her Ether Blob and activates her GravPack. This cues Lyla to unfurl her flying carpet and hop on to sit down, bottomless still. Bella jumps back aboard her wrench, and Chez Shay is already aloft on her vacuum cleaner. Bridgette takes out her own GravBoard, but whimpers. That is, until she notices the safety harness reforming on her body. She gives Zan a loving look, and he smiles as he finishes re-creating the harnesses and activates the security tether. Chez Shay snickers. Bridgette ignores her as she scrambles onto her GravBoard, wobbles a little, and takes Zan's hand. Sasha moves up close to Lyla, and tentatively points out, "Lyla, don't forget..."

Lyla tilts her head slightly, reacting, "Wha?" She then sees that Sasha is looking at her bottomlessness, her blush strengthens slightly, and she goes, "Oh..."

Zan calls out to everyone in general, "Hurry up!" He takes off with Bridgette out through the demolished window wall.

Bella, Teresa, Chez Shay, The Beast and Kira fly out of the control center with Zan and Bridgette through the wide opening that Palindrome originally created for them. Lyla swoops over to where her pants lay on the floor, tilts her carpet sideways, and snatches them up, then swerves around back to where the group left and speeds out behind them. The group flies out into the volcanic skies of the Getol Mountains, and races away from the base. The facility is slowly tilting from side to side, wracked by explosions from all over its hull. The girls and Zan tense up as they speed onward to get as good a distance away from the base as they can. The explosions behind them grow louder, and the base finally begins to sink toward the land below.

The southwestern quadrant of the base breaks loose with explosions and begins to fall faster toward the volcanic land below. The spire in the top center begins to implode and collapse down into the center of the base's dome. Explosions rip across the surface of the hull. Large plates break loose with blasts and go flying. The northeastern quadrant breaks loose with more explosions. Anti-air guns, no longer functioning, explode in wild blasts and some of them are launched by bigger blasts behind them. Debris rains from the underside of the structure. Ruined aircraft and droids spew from blasted-open hangars all around. The central spire completes its collapse into the structure, and a mushroom-shaped explosion rises from the center. A massive blast splits the entire structure in half. Then the two halves split into halves with two more massive explosions. And finally, all sections of the base explode in one, long, drawn out blast that punches a crater into the land below, parts the ash clouds above, and levels the volcanoes within the immediate vicinity. The blast is so intense, it scatters debris miles into the sky, and sends shockwaves rushing outward, including toward the group.

But, the group succeeds in getting far enough away to avoid being harmed by the final explosion. Out of range of the main blast, they are still shoved and carried an additional distance by the explosion's shockwaves, and scream as they fly. When the shockwaves end, the group slows to a stop, and turns to look back at the remains of the base as it falls through the air, along with trillions of pieces of debris, to collapse into the crater its blast produced beneath it, which is already starting to fill with lava from the demolished surrounding volcanoes. The group floats there, gazing upon the destruction they have wrought, and for a moment, they remain very tense, still and silent. Even Chez Shay and The Beast are awestruck by the sheer intensity of the destruction. The fallout of debris starts to rain down, but the group is mostly out of range of the metal downpour. They just float there, and watch.

Until the group notices something else. The steady erupting of the volcanoes begins to ease visibly. The amount of ash, spewing lava, and flying rocks from the mouths of the volcanoes all throughout the region lessens dramatically, and a peculiar breeze starts to blow through. The air begins to clear, the ashen clouds begin to thin, and the embers dancing upward begin to diminish. The girls look around, perplexed. They eventually turn their attention to Zan, when he puts a hand to his cybernetic temple. They watch him, and wait. They feel a buzz of joy build in their hearts, when a smile forms on his face.

He slowly looks at the group, holding back something for a moment. They all pass stares at one another, until Bella softly, tentatively, breaks the silence, "Zan?" Kira, quick to become annoyed, barks, "Out with it already!" Teresa whimpers, and pleads, "Master, the anticipation is killing me!" Lyla honestly doesn't know what it could be, and asks, "What is it?" Bridgette does, and forms a big smile, as she says, "I can probably guess." Chez Shay smirks at Zan's seemingly deliberate delay, and remarks, "You like to build tension, don't you?" The Beast has gotten antsy already, and exclaims, "C'MON, MAN!" They stare at him as hard as they can.

Zan slowly starts, "Everyone." They focus even more intently on him. He softly announces, "The Interdimensional Static, has been destroyed." They nearly instantly become very excited, and he adds, "And as I thought, it was the cause of the increased level of violent seismic and volcanic activity in this region." They take note with nods, very excited, but Zan continues, "However, in addition..." They freeze, looks of dread forming, and he explains, "My scans indicate, that the very violent method used to purge the Static, has sent a Feedback Reverb through its line to its other end, which is likely in NESTS' home realm. This will result in an equally violent destruction of the Static's other point in their realm. If it hasn't happened already, it will certainly result in the destruction of whatever facility NESTS built to house it. Unless they anticipated this too, the destruction will probably be enough to knock down their campaign by a few rungs." He has a very pleased expression.

The girls break into joyous cheering. Chez Shay cackles, "HAHAAAH!" and high-fives The Beast. He returns it, and exclaims, "BOOYAH BAYBEH!"

Kira folds her arms, laughing with all her might, eyes closed tight, declares, "NOTHING can stand up to us! NOTHING!" and resumes laughing. Her Ether Blob's arms emerge and clasp together for victory shaking over her head.

Bella hugs Teresa tightly, cheering, "We did it! We won!" "We won, Bella! Just as you expected us to!" Teresa nearly simultaneously cheers while hugging Bella back.

They laugh and cheer excitedly. Chez Shay flies around the group, twirling her Gunbrella and firing shots into the sky. The Beast lets out a loud little victory roar. Lyla and Sasha cheer just as happily, but not quite as wildly. Bridgette observes this celebrating with a smile, which converts into a grin when she focuses her attention on Zan. She proudly states, "Score another victory for the Amethytus Estate." She suddenly grabs Zan, causing him to blink, and she adds, "Right, Zan?" She deeply kisses him in celebration. He gladly returns the kiss, closing his eyes for the duration of this. Afterward, with their eyes locked, he replies, "Indeed..."

Seeing this, Teresa swoops in and glomps Zan after his kiss with Bridgette, clinging firmly. She gives him an adoring look, and cutely exclaims, "Amethytus Entourage forever, master!"

Bella feels drawn to join this form of celebration, moves in to hug him too, making Teresa flinch, and whispers, "Eihemland is safe..."

Zan's cybernetic eye shifts to the Joy Icon, as he hugs them all right back. Kira watches this with a toothy grin. Chez Shay, not willing to be left out, shoves aside the girls, grabs Zan by the sides of his face and kisses him rather forcefully. Bella and Teresa are annoyed by being pushed aside, but Bridgette grins at this, and moves to nudge Kira. She swats at Bridgette however, and does not make a move on Zan. Bridgette just snickers. Chez Shay backs up after the kiss, grinning evilly, but notices a bead of sweat coming down the side of her face. She wipes it away with a finger, and reacts, "Whoo..." She tugs at the collar of her dress, and comments, "Did some of that fire curry leak into you from your pocket dimension, Zan? I'm hot again all of a sudden."

Kira becomes exasperated all over again, and exclaims, "Seriously, you have no understanding of convection? There are still active volcanoes all around us!"

Chez Shay blinks, looks around at the environment, and replies, "Is THAT what keeps making me hot out here?" The group facepalms with sighs.

Kira points at her a couple of times as she says, "You're covered up too much for this place. Unlike little floaty-..." She blinks, and corrects, "sans-pants over there."

Everyone notices that Lyla is still bottomless, and she still has a blush. She looks down at herself, then back at the group, embarrassed again, but notably not making any effort to cover herself with her hands or anything. Chez Shay forms that mean grin of hers again, and exclaims in a tone of teasing, "Oh right! That was hilariously awesome how you decided to just abandon your pants and fight that guy with us! He, and Zan, got plenty of eye-candy for their efforts!" "KINKY!" The Beast adds, eyeing her in amusement.

The girls look at Zan, as he keeps his eyes on Lyla's face, with a soft, approving gaze. The group flinches, however, when Lyla closes her eyes, gets up on her knees at the edge of the carpet, and moves close to Zan. Sasha stares in confusion, and slowly reacts, "...Lyla?"

Zan watches her quizzically, as Lyla brings her face close to his and slowly opens her eyes, blushing mightily. She whispers in a nervous tone, "Everyone else did it... So I will too..." She gently kisses his lips, causing shock and hysteria among the girls. Chez Shay and The Beast laugh very loudly, then cheer. Then all fall silent, when Lyla takes both of Zan's hands, and moves them to place them on her bare backside. Sasha yelps in shock, "Lyla?!"

Lyla slowly ends the kiss, giving Zan a shimmering gaze of love, her blush at maximum potency, and says, "Thank you Zan, for saving me all those times. I'm sorry I wasn't very helpful." She brings her arms around his shoulders to stay pressed against him.

He accepts her permission to touch her, his hands gently holding and massaging her backside, and he gently encourages, "You did better than you think, Lyla. Your potions, and your efforts to battle the enemies, not to mention the points where you provided transport with your carpet, all count for something. We couldn't have done it without you. Thank YOU, Lyla."

Chez Shay has a suggestive sneer, as she remarks, "I'm sure the unmentioned fourth thing he's thanking you for is the free fondling." The Beast quickly adds with his own identical sneer, "WHO'S ALL TURNED ON NOW I WONDER?!"

Lyla just keeps her eyes on Zan for a moment, and he returns it with a tender gaze. The girls form grins, but for Sasha, who is just astounded.

At this point, Bella, who has turned to face the area where the enemy base once was, quietly speaks, "It's time..."

The group looks at her, Zan gently fondling Lyla's backside for a little longer before he adjusts his hold to be on her back. Teresa replies curiously, "What's up, Bella?"

She slowly looks at the group from over her shoulder to give the group a confident, if a little somber, expression, as she says, "It's time for me to issue my final order as official leader of this group."

Kira rolls her eyes. Bridgette just snickers. Teresa puts her arms akimbo with a smirk. Chez Shay rests her Gunbrella on her shoulder, the barrel ending up in The Beast's face. He slowly, carefully, eases out from in front of it. Lyla continues to hold on to Zan for the moment, and Sasha gives Bella a curious look. Zan asks, "And that is?"

Bella closes her eyes, bowing her head slightly, and declares with a satisfied tone, "Let's go home."

Kira is silent for a moment, before a grin forms on her face, quickly becoming excited, and she responds, "...Now THAT is an order I am willing to take!"

Zan gives Lyla a smile, which she returns, and he adds, "I hear that."

Bridgette lets out a soft laugh and acknowledges, "Yes. YES. Let's go home..."

Teresa rapidly becomes excited, and cheerfully chatters, "Home! Amethytus Estate! Purple crystal trees! Starry vista sky! I know it's only been a couple of days, but it feels like it's been a MONTH!"

"FIVE AND A HALF, ACTUALLY," The Beast states with closed eyes and an upward-pointed paw claw. Some of the group looks at him in confusion.

Bella looks back out over the horizon again for a moment as she says, "And the first thing I'm gonna do when I get home?" They wait, until she turns around, stretches upward, and states, "I am sooo gonna take a SHOWER."

Kira sniffs in amusement, and replies, "That makes TWICE that I have to agree with you."

Bridgette suddenly remembers this, and groans, "THOROUGHLY. Ugh..." She looks at her hair and clothes, which have become quite well worn over the past couple of days, and she adds, "I'm a mess."

Teresa, having grown quite antsy, exclaims, "I can't wait! Let's go already!" She turns to fly away.

Bella, however, gestures for her to wait, and says, "Hang on a sec..." She turns to face their Eihemland friends, and inquires, "Chez Shay, Lyla? What are you going to do?"

Chez Shay looks at The Beast, then off to the side, as she replies with meager interest, "Eh, I guess we can at least go with you to your gate here in this realm. There's nothing to fight, but it'd feel wrong to just up at leave you all now." The Beast gives her a perplexed look, a paw on his chin, and he remarks, "...YOU ARE GETTING SOFT."

Chez Shay shoves the barrel of her Gunbrella into his mouth, giving him a dangerous glare, as she coolly replies, "What was that?" The Beast just flails his arms in a "NO! NOTHING!" gesture, and she smirks.

Sasha moves close to Lyla, who is still pressed against Zan, and says, "Lyla? I want to see them off at their gate too."

She looks at Zan, her arms still around him, her blush still strong, and gently responds, "Me too... It's safe now, so I'll be happy to go with you all to your gate."

Bella gives them a look of caution as she points out, "You all realize it's in the Rime Peaks, right? A really COLD place?"

Lyla looks at Bella with a nod, and replies, "I know. That won't be a problem." Sasha blinks on hearing this, and actually becomes eager, as she comments, "Ohh, that's a beautiful region! I'd love to see it again!"

Chez Shay's expression reveals some mild approval, as she acknowledges, "Oh right. Sky whales and snow crystals. I kinda like that place, actually." "TOO COOL," The Beast adds with a grin. Chez Shay swats at him for the pun, and he dodges the swipes with a snicker.

Bella adjusts her seating on her wrench to prepare for fast flight, and enthusiastically announces, "Alright then. Let's go, everyone! To Rime Peaks! To the Amethyst Gate, and our way home!"

Lyla gives Zan one last impassioned look, which he returns with a warm smile. He gently runs his hands down the sides of her body, releasing her after they pass over the sides of her hips. She shivers slightly in pleasure from this, gives him a shy gaze, and reluctantly releases him as well. The scene amuses the others, especially Bridgette and Chez Shay. Sasha feels just a little reserved about it, but stays calm. Lyla settles back into the center of her flying carpet, staying bottomless for now still. Once ready, the group turns, and flies northeast, to depart from Getol Mountains.

A short time into their flight, Chez Shay moves to inch closely behind Lyla. Suddenly, she darts in, snatches Lyla's pants resting on her carpet, and takes off flying with them, waving them and jeering. Lyla squeals, and flies after Chez Shay, reaching out to try and retrieve them. Chez Shay breaks into cackling as she evades her. Lyla pleads frantically with Chez Shay as she chases her. The rest of the group sighs in irritation or amusement. The volcanic region of Getol soon becomes quiet, the sky steadily clearing up as the volcanoes calm to a simmer.

~Waypoint 24: Beautiful Departure~

The sun hangs low over the glistening, sparkling white region of Eihemland to the distant northeast: Rime Peaks. Set far from Getol Mountains, it contrasts to the extreme with the region NESTS decided to make their settling zone. Getol Mountains is a hot, volcanic sector flowing with lava and changing nearly constantly. Rime Peaks is a cold, glacial sector, as still as ice and virtually just as unchanging. The sky of Getol is filled with ash clouds and wavers with convection. Rime Peaks' sky is crystal clear, shimmering with the light of glacial formations of extraordinary beauty. Getol Mountains dominates the field of darkness with red and black, while Rime Peaks shines with the light of blue and white. Possibly the only thing the two regions have in common, is the existence of large objects floating in the air. Amidst the chilling breeze of the skies, are humongous boulders of ice and snow as large as the burning boulders of Getol. And swimming about gracefully through the air amidst them, are pale-skinned whales the size of large ships. They grace the ambiance with their moaning songs. Curious snowflake creatures also drift aloft on the breezes, collecting particles of snow and ice to feed on. They turn their eyeless faces to "look", when they sense the presence of Bella's group entering the region, flying swiftly.

The extraordinary beauty of this region is not lost on Bella's group. They look around as they navigate the skies of Rime Peaks, high above the land below. Teresa and Kira are in awe, though the latter would never admit it. They gaze at the airborne entities and objects, as well as at the shimmering alpine regions below, everything having a glaze of snow and ice that results in beauty that takes one's breath away, if the cold does not. Zan and Bridgette give each other contented smiles, on seeing the beauty of the region. A fitting setting for their gate to and from their home, which is itself a beautiful and peaceful region. Lyla and Sasha gaze around in awe too, even though they have seen it before. It's not something one forgets easily. Chez Shay, for once, seems genuinely pleased as well, and her expression reveals a subtle fondness for the cold and glorious region. The Beast takes note of this, and forms a small, toothy grin. Bella looks around, taking in the sights, but her expression is just a little subdued for some reason. Teresa gazes about as she flies along, at the white scenery, and exclaims, "Wooow... This... This is beautiful..! The only snow region I've ever been to was the Lost Neideica of Medea, and that was a dark, gloomy and dead place! I never knew snow lands could be so, so amazing!"

Kira, flying with her GravPack, is more heavily distracted by the floating objects. Her eye twitches at the sight of them, the breaking of physics being more than her scientist mind can give a passing acceptance. She remarks, "More... floating... rocks... HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE?! I am SO gonna have to come back here some time on my own and study these friggen things!"

Bella flies with the group, but is not really looking around much, and seems distracted by thought. She speaks up with much less enthusiasm, "Well, we're here... Rime Peaks. Beautiful place, isn't it?"

Teresa quickly notices Bella's muted response, gives her a concerned look, and asks, "Bella? Is everything ok? You should be happy, since we're about to go home." Everyone else notices this as well, and turn their attention toward her.

She gives them a soft smile to ease their concern, and replies, "Mm, I'm ok. It's just, whenever I come to any of these places, I'm reminded of one of my sisters. And this one in particular reminds me all too much of Snowberry..." Her expression grows somber.

On hearing that name, Zan's expression becomes muted too. He looks off to the side, as he thinks about past events, and mumbles, "Ah, yes, Snowberry White... Hmm..." He and Bella exchange an empathetic look as they fly, sparking the curiosity of the group, but when nothing further on this is spoken of, and when Bridgette, who knows what they're talking about, also forms a similarly dour look, no one pries, sensing a very touchy subject. Even Chez Shay senses that this is not something she should pick on. She just redirects her attention elsewhere.

The group flies onward, soaring through the skies over the region of Rime. The sky whales give them wide berth, and Kira is utterly fascinated by the flying sea creatures, their hypnotic songs echoing through the air. Lyla gazes with wonderment at the sights. In the interim before arriving here, she managed to retrieve her pants from Chez Shay, and has since put them back on. In addition however, her body is glowing with a subtle aura of Fire energy. Despite the fact that she still has a massive amount of exposed skin, the deep cold is not affecting her whatsoever. The same can't entirely be said of Chez Shay. Her body and face are displaying contrasting signals. She is shivering as one would expect from being a couple hundred feet in the air over an arctic region, but her face shows no expression suggesting awareness whatsoever of the cold, as it is as firm and focused as normal.

As the group flies, gazing at the sights and making good headway to their final destination, Zan senses the need to change the subject when he notes that Bella's mind seems to be drifting back into her regretful past. So, he looks at the group, focuses his attention on the cutest member, and speaks up, "It's quite a contrast here, to where we came from, huh, Teresa?"

She promptly turns her awestruck gaze upon Zan and responds, "YES, master! It's really, really pretty here! I bet it's pretty cold too though."

He comments appreciatively, "Fortunately, our Contour Barriers can block EITHER temperature extreme. They keep out hot, and cold."

As they fly, a snowflake alights on Teresa's little button nose, causing her to flinch, with a mild blush nearly instantly forming for a second. Those who see this let out a soft laugh, with Zan in particular quite charmed by the adorable sight. Kira, however, continues the conversation before anything else can be said. As she feels the device within her swimsuit, she states, "I am so going to have to pick one of these devices apart and find out what makes them so tough. I'm sure I can find ways to improve on them."

Bridgette flinches, and gives Kira an agitated look as she quickly responds, "You so certainly are NOT going to 'pick one apart'. That's what schematics are for!"

Kira glares at Bridgette, but calmly explains, "One: I can do what I want with my personal stuff. Two: It's not the SAME, Bridgette... To be able to TOUCH the parts, see them with my own eyes; no two-dimensional designs or three-dimensional vectors on a computer screen can compare to that."

Bridgette is taken by surprise at such ardent feelings toward understanding technology. She reflects for a second on the fact she feels exactly the same way about antiques. She comments, "...I had no idea you were so passionate about that sort of thing."

Kira gestures with a hand as she excitedly replies, "I'm a friggen SCIENTIST. I would have probably gotten along with those dorks back at the NESTS Laboratory at least somewhat, if they weren't a bunch of jackasses!"

Chez Shay remembers her fight with those guys, and a small, crazy smirk develops on her face as she remarks, "At least their asses were just as easily jacked by us." "MUSCLE BEATS MIND," The Beast points out needlessly. Kira passes a glare at him for such a generalizing statement, but he fails to notice.

The group moves between a pair of huge, floating snow boulders, and there is snow drifting about between them as though affected by alternate sources of gravity. Zan watches the snow swirl about as they fly through the very localized precipitation, and it gets him to thinking. He eventually says, "...Unfortunately, at least in the opinion of some people, we never see snow on Staveltess. Never will, either."

Lyla immediately blinks in surprise, reacts, "What? Why?" and Sasha adds rather sadly, "That's a shame..."

Kira speaks up to answer for Zan, "Staveltess is a globally tropical planet due to the nature of its atmosphere. It has perpetually summer temperatures, in addition to being perpetually night. Yeah, now THAT was probably one of the first things that fascinated me when I initially arrived there." She gives Zan an approving look, which he smiles at.

Chez Shay catches their attention with a grunt of surprise, and responds, "Wait, seriously? Perpetual summer nights?" She proceeds to form a very suggestive grin, which she aims at Zan as she adds amorously, "Wow Zan, I'm surprised you have time to get anything done!"

The girls immediately get what Chez Shay is hinting at, and become thoroughly amused. Zan pretends to become hysterical, as he prattles with shaking hands, fingers spread and stiffly curled, "Not a harem. Not a harem! NOT A HAREM!" The girls laugh at the reaction. He then continues with the main subject, acting like normal, "...And, of course, the nature of our home can be viewed as both a pro and a con. It's good that we never have to worry about debilitating inclement weather, but at the same time, we'll never see any of the beauty a good snowfall can produce."

Bridgette looks around at all the snowcover over the land, and comments, "I wonder how much longer Ashei is going to be able to tolerate that? You just know the likelihood she'll want to see snow again HAS to be growing."

Bella blinks, looks off to the side in thought, and says, "Oh yeah... Ashei loves snow. Darn, I should have asked her to come with us, at least for this part of the trip."

Teresa dismissively gestures with head and hand as she replies, "Well, it's not like she can't go to a snow realm or something through our gateway whenever she wants." Bella gives her an affirmative look in response.

Zan, himself, adds, "I have suspicions that she may actually be planning to do something like that..." The girls start to murmur about that, as they keep their flight up, soaring through the beautiful skies of Rime, taking in the sights and sounds.

A strong, snowcrystal wind blows through, sending the long hair of the majority of the girls into elegant dancing. Zan detects that the wind is very chilly, even though he and the Amethytus Girls' Contour Barriers keep them from actually feeling the temperature. Before he can say anything though, it is Bella who speaks up first, "That was a piercing wind we just met. How's that card holding up, Lyla?" She looks at her in concern.

Lyla, however, gives her a gracious nod and smile, as she replies, "Just fine, Bella. Thank you for giving me your spare Fire Bomb Card. I was able to handle the heat of Getol, but I'm not so good with the cold..."

Chez Shay sniffs, and remarks, "Gee, I wonder why? And you all CRITICIZED me for my big, blue dress!" She gets annoyed looks from the others, who never said any sort of thing.

Sasha, however, adds, "Which is bad, since the nights of the desert can get pretty cold at times." Lyla looks a little flustered, but flinches when The Beast, who has become oddly excited, suddenly blurts, "EXTREME DEGREE!"

Teresa ignores this as she continues the conversation, commenting, "I suppose it makes sense that activating a card that lets you launch huge Fireballs would cause you to generate heat too. That's a pretty inventive way of staying warm!"

"Isn't it?" Bella replies with a grin, and Teresa nods with a similar grin.

Zan adjusts the attention to the lunatic as he asks, "How about you, Chez Shay?"

She rolls her eyes, responds, "Pssh," and flicks her flying hair back. She proclaims, "This is nothing. I hardly feel it!"

The Beast gives her a sneer as he comments, "YOU HARDLY FEEL ANYTHING." "Darn straight," Chez Shay rather promptly replies.

Kira recalls, however, that beneath that modest outfit, there is nothing, and remarks, "Anything, huh? You're not feeling just a little bit breezy, commando girl?"

The subject goes over Chez Shay's head, she gives Kira a half-confused, half-insulted look as she responds, "...What? You making fun of my boots?"

The Beast sees the disdain form on Kira's face. He smirks, reacts, "OH BOY..." and Kira proceeds to derisively chide, "You SERIOUSLY don't realize it? Is being ludicrously dense part of your psycho nature or something?"

Chez Shay's eye twitches, and she quickly retorts, "Is being a mouthy smurf part of your pint-sized ego or something?"

Hearing the exchange of insults distresses Zan, and he tries quietly to halt it. "Girls..." he sadly says.

They do not hear him, as Kira continues the tirade, stating, "At first I thought it was just an annoying, attention-grabbing act, but by now I've come to seriously believe that you're more stupid than anything."

Chez Shay grows steadily angrier as she snarls, "I'm about to go all GARGAMEL on your little blue ass, pipsqueak!"

The others just watch in either amusement or disturbance as the two butt heads, and Zan grows a little more urgent about getting them under control. "Girls!" he exclaims.

They either still don't hear him over the blowing wind, or choose to ignore him, as Kira snaps threateningly, "I dare you! I'll pile drive you into that ice rock!" She thrusts to point at a floating boulder of ice they are passing by.

Chez Shay launches at Kira, snarling, and Zan facepalms. The others find this banter to be rather entertaining, however. Kira dodges to the side to avoid Chez Shay's angry swooping charge, trying to tackle Kira, who just taunts her and evades her additional snarling rushes. Zan calms down, when he sees that Chez Shay isn't actually trying to SHOOT Kira, likely knowing her Gunbrella is ineffective against Kira's Contour Barrier. The two swoop and chase and snarl and talk smack all around as the group moves onward through the skies of Rime, nearing their destination.

Before any actual harm can be brought to each other though, sparkling glints in the distance catch Chez Shay's attention, and she halts her attempts to attack Kira. The latter smugly goads, "What's the matter? Realize you're no match for me?!"

Chez Shay snaps a sharp, but distracted, glare, responds, "Shut your mouth, twerp," and points, as she keeps flying with the group. She looks forward toward the objects ahead, and exclaims, "Something's coming!"

The group notices the glints now too, but only Chez Shay, The Beast, Lyla and Sasha go on alert. The rest seem to know already what's coming, and the former four shortly notice that the Amethytus members seem pleased with what they see.

Swarming toward the group are a flock of fairy-sized and shaped creatures whose bodies consist of purple and green crystals. Vaguely humanoid and feminine in design, with limbs that float separated from their main bodies, the entities are speeding toward them excitedly. Lyla yelps, and Chez Shay growls, quickly taking out her Gunbrella. They flinch when the creatures are swiftly upon the group. And promptly start hugging Zan and his Entourage girls. The creatures excitedly emit what are clearly very delighted and joyful shimmering and sparkling sounds. The Eihemlanders stare in confusion, and Chez Shay reacts, "The heck?" The Beast finds himself somewhat entranced by their pretty appearances, and comments, "WHOA. SPARKLY." Lyla just blinks, watching the creatures celebrate, and says, "...Wha?" Sasha is relieved, and now intrigued, as she watches them, and mumbles, "They... They are friendly?"

Teresa and Bella laugh as they are happily clung to by the creatures. Bridgette smiles cutely when she sees them coming and gets hugged by them. Kira forms a confident smirk, allowing some of the creatures to hug her too. Zan's cybernetic eye displays the Joy Icon. When he hears the reactions of their guest party members, he replies, "They are friendly." When hugged, he hugs some of them back, and the creatures dance all around the group as they keep flying. He states, "They are Thyxies."

The Thyxies start investigating the Eihemland girls and The Beast now, and Zan explains, "One of my first creations, they are the drones of my Estate, and serve as the primary workers for all manner of tasks, ranging from construction to maintenance. They share a collective mind, each one's consciousness, thoughts and memories linked with the others, and they all share the same personality as a result. It would seem that the personality that ended up developing is that of a cheerful but dutiful little girl." He gets hugged by one of the stragglers when it arrives, and it emits a very joyous shimmering noise. He gives it a very warm, loving smile, as he comments, "And I'd have to say, that collective mind is very happy to see us right now."

Another of the Thyxies floats in front of him and emits an inquisitive sparkling noise, clearly asking him questions in a language unintelligible to the Eihemland girls. He nods in confirmation, and replies, "Yeah, we made it. We're ok, and our mission is complete." The Thyxie, and all of the others along with it, break into "cheering".

A Thyxie floats close to Chez Shay, and she gives it a scary grin. She flinches, though when it doesn't react to her efforts to intimidate, and it pokes her rabbit-ear headband. She swats at it, but it elegantly dodges, emitting what sounds like laughter-type sparkling noises. This irritates her, since it feels like she's being teased, and she complains, "Does EVERYTHING and EVERYONE from your Estate have to PESTER me?!"

Kira, arms folded and smirking, quickly replies in that same goading tone, "You're just easily pestered." She is allowing a Thyxie to sit on her head.

The Beast and a Thyxie lean in close face to face to give each other very zoomed-in looks. The Beast pokes the Thyxie, and it pokes him back. He grins, and the Thyxie does a little dance. He watches it for a moment, then looks at the others as he asks, "GIRLY?"

Bridgette, smiling, acknowledges, "Of course. The only males in the Estate are a handful of creatures. It's a girls' paradise!"

Chez Shay forms a suggestive expression as she remarks, "And that makes it Zan's paradise too." "Sanctuary," Zan corrects. "Whatever," she responds with a dismissive gesture. He sighs.

Lyla smiles and holds out her hands to a Thyxie investigating her too. It flies in, she hugs it, and it emits a cheerful shimmering noise. She looks down at it with a very pleased expression and comments, "They're so pretty!" Sasha smiles at the Thyxie investigating her too, and responds, "They sure are."

The Thyxies keep dancing around the group as everyone maintains flying onward. After the introductions have been made, Zan speaks to the Thyxies, "We're heading for the Amethyst Gate. I take it we're almost there?" A Thyxie acknowledges with sparkling noises, and Zan replies, "Good. Lead the way, little ones."

Lyla immediately finds herself charmed by his demeanor, and gives him a soft, blushing look as she responds, "...'Little ones'... He is so tender..." Bridgette gives her a grin, and praises, "A defining characteristic!" The two exchange pleased looks.

The Thyxies swarm back the way they came, keeping within a certain distance of the group, and everyone soars onward, nearing their destination now. Within a few more minutes of flying, and passing by a large cloud of sparkling mist, they see a shine emanating from a mountain plateau ahead. The Amethytus girls smile brightly when they recognize it. Chez Shay smirks, and Lyla smiles almost as brightly. Set into a recessed cliff amidst a beautiful, snow-capped plateau, is a purple crystal station, containing a large, fan-shaped cluster of crystals. The Joy Icon intensifies in Zan's cybernetic eye, and he softly declares, "There it is... The Amethyst Gate, our link to and from the Amethytus Estate to Eihemland. It's not often I feel this happy to see it."

Bella is far more ecstatic, and cheers, "The link to our home! It IS a sight for sore eyes!"

Teresa excitedly chatters, "I am so, SO glad to see it! I am! I really am!"

Bridgette is awash with relief as she states, "The true sign of our mission's completion! I can NOT wait to take my shower!"

Kira huffs, and says, "Freakin' finally. I'll just be glad to get this GravPack off my shoulders!" Her words disguise the elation in her eyes, however, and everyone can see this.

The group shortly arrives at the miniature base. The fan-shaped gate is set within the back of a large pavilion. Atop the pavilion is a small pylon sporting slowly-rotating shield-shaped crystals of green. To either side of the pavilion are a couple of Amethyst Trees, into which numerous Thyxies flock once they arrive, while others move to mill about around the pavilion and other small structures set here. Behind it is a small neotech shed-like structure, also of purple and green crystals: a Storage Matrix. Chez Shay notes in particular what are clearly a couple of cannon-like fortifications set close to the pavilion as well. They take in the sight of the miniature base that has been built around the Amethyst Gate, as they come in for a landing on the front yard of crystal pavement set before the pavilion.

The group touches down, and Bridgette quickly gets off her GravBoard, eagerly putting it away. Zan and Teresa shortly do so too, noting Bridgette's appreciation for not having to sky surf anymore with a little amusement. Zan also reclaims the security harnesses he and Bridgette are wearing, and she gives him a grateful, loving look, which he returns with a soft smile. Everyone else touches down as well. They feel the steady breeze of high elevation blowing through, now noticeable since they have stopped flying. For just a moment, they gaze out in awed silence over Rime's extraordinary, early evening vista of whites and blues. A Thyxie drifts through the group, milling about. Everyone then looks at each other with great satisfaction, with Bella being the only exception. She has grown a little discouraged in this short time, and she speaks up in a somber manner, "We're technically home now. It's so good to be here, and to see an Amethyst Gate. If we hadn't been interrupted in our trip here, THIS would have been the start location of our mission to save Eihemland. ...I guess I can't use the 'we've come full circle' line, as I intended to when we returned here."

Teresa quickly moves next to Bella and encourages her, "It's ok, Bella. It's ok. At least we get to finish up by coming here, which is just as good, right?" Bella gives her a weak look.

Zan continues the support, "Absolutely. Don't let what happened back there bother you, Bella. There was no way you could have anticipated it, and our being here now is proof that it ultimately didn't matter." Bella gives him a soft gaze.

Lyla is quite comfortable now, and shares this comfort with Bella, reminding her, "It wasn't your fault, remember? The bad guys did something you couldn't have expected!" "You did very good, Bella! We won!" Sasha enthusiastically adds. Bella smiles a little.

Chez Shay smirks, and states, "They kicked your ass!" She gets glared at, until she finishes, "And you got up and kicked their asses right back twice as hard!" The others are surprised to hear this clever comment, and give Chez Shay an impressed look. She, and The Beast, have powerful grins, and he adds, "WITH OUR HELP, OF COURSE." The others chuckle softly, certainly unable to deny the truth of that.

Bridgette turns her attention back to Bella to give her some of her own encouragement, carefully saying, "So just let it go, alright? Despite all that happened, we still won. We saved Eihemland, and that's what you wanted." Bella gives her an accepting nod.

Kira is annoyed that this subject has come up again. But, after everyone else having said something, she feels obligated to add to it. She makes firm eye contact, and states, "Remember how Zan said that being challenged is how you get to show how good a leader you are? Well that was one heck of a challenge, and I expect you to have learned something from it." The others find this somewhat backhanded encouragement amusing.

Bella sighs, and decides for the final time to put the discouragement behind her. She responds, "...I did. Thank you, everyone!" Her confidence has returned, and she shows it clearly on her face.

The group moves up into the pavilion as they continue to talk. Several Thyxies follow them, watching their conversation. As they go, Zan points out, "We're not the only ones specifically who should be thanked..." He looks at Chez Shay, The Beast, Lyla and Sasha, and gives them a warm, grateful look, and says, "You four are especially appreciated."

Bella flinches when she realizes the time is due to acknowledge this, and exclaims, "Oh, right!" She suddenly approaches, and hugs Lyla, causing her to yelp. Bella continues, "Thank you very much for helping us. We really couldn't have done it as well as we had without your help." Ending the hug, she focuses her attention on Lyla specifically as she adds, "And I'm sorry for being so snobby around you at first. I was kinda stuck on my old attitude toward you from when you helped defeat my family years ago."

Lyla smiles, and responds, "Aww, that's ok. You're welcome. No hard feelings!" They both nod with pleasant grunts.

Teresa faces the Eihemlanders, putting her arms akimbo, as she also thanks them, "Yeah, thank you four very much! And thanks for the ideas, Chez Shay! I'm sure I would have come up with something similar on my own, but who knows how long it would have taken."

Chez Shay smirks, and tosses a grenade to Teresa, who yelps, fumbles with it, frightening the others, but manages to catch it, and finds it still disarmed. Chez Shay has to resist the urge to bust out laughing at the sight, and with a dangerous grin, replies, "Anytime, pigtails. Have fun with those Tar Pit explosions." Teresa gives her a deviant little smirk. A Thyxie alights on Teresa's head, and she drives it off, making it "laugh".

Bridgette speaks up now too, "I gotta thank you all too. And yes, you too, Chez Shay... You are a maniac, but you still saved me from becoming ant-chow." She averts her eyes.

The Beast chortles, "BUG BAIT! HAW!" while Chez Shay gives her a smug look of acknowledgement, and responds, "Anytime. ...pinkerton." She snickers, Bridgette grumbles, and Zan rolls his eyes.

A brief, awkward silence takes over for a moment, until Kira realizes she needs to say something to. She sighs in exasperation, and says, "...I guess I have to thank you as well. ...You did well enough I suppose. And yes, Lyla, you too." Lyla smiles brightly for some reason, as Kira continues, "For all your whining and cowering and whimpering, you still managed to come through and support us. So I'll acknowledge you as a friend."

Lyla is suddenly and inexplicably overjoyed, as she responds, "Really?! That's wonderful! I'm SO glad to hear that! I tried so hard... I really did! Thank you, Kira!" Tears well up in her eyes, and Kira gives her a confused look.

Sasha is equally delighted, and exclaims, "You do us both a great honor, Kira! Having your approval means a lot to us!" "I tried so hard..." Lyla echoes with a sniffle. Kira just stares at them in befuddlement, and reacts, "Uhh-huh..." The others are almost as confused as she is.

Zan then states with authority and confidence, "Chez Shay, Beast, Lyla, Sasha, on behalf of the Amethytus Estate, I thank you from my very core, for supporting us on this mission. Chez Shay, Beast, your firepower was downright necessary for us to get past some of the obstacles we faced. And Lyla, Sasha, your support techniques really came through in some tight spots. Thank you four. Thank you, very much."

A frightening grin spreads across Chez Shay's face in a flash, and she responds, "YOU, are VERY welcome, Zan. Now, it's time for your parting gift!" His confidence cracks on hearing this.

She comes right up to him, grabs him by the back of the head, and shoves her mouth against his in a mighty kiss that creates amusement in the others. Especially when she grabs one of his hands, and puts it firmly against her backside, forcing him to grope her in the process, with only her dress between her skin and his hand. She maintains the kiss for several seconds, then gives him another grin afterward, as his hand feels her backside. The Thyxies get a little excited and emit shimmering noises. She aims her eyes down, taking in the sensation of his hand on her backside, then looks directly at him as she comments, "I've been wanting you to feel me up for a while now, but we've either been too busy or you've been too scared." She grins yet again, and Zan is a little nervous, as she adds, "I wasn't about to let you go without getting a handful of booty, and seeing timid little Lyla do it inspired me to get it done."

Zan allows himself to touch her rear end, and, with a hint of trepidation, replies, "...Thanks for that... Just... please don't bite me again. The line that separates pain from pleasure is very solid for me."

Chez Shay cackles right in his face, raising Bridgette's and Teresa's ire. Chez Shay exclaims, "Hah! That was a one-time thing! You've been MARKED for GOOD, boy." She pokes his nose, causing him to flinch, as she adds, "Even if it healed quickly."

Zan averts his eyes as he responds, "Yes, well..." He can't let go of her backside, as her hand is keeping his there. He looks at her again when he remembers the missing detail, and is able to feel it as such. He remarks, "You do realize that you really aren't wearing your underwear, right?"

She just laughs again, and responds, "How amusing! I guess I must've 'forgotten'!" The others roll their eyes, and Chez Shay continues to make Zan feel her up.

Bridgette blinks when The Beast draws close to her, and she gives him a wary look. He is strangely nervous, avoiding eye contact, and mumbles, "UHH..."

Keeping a very wary eye on him, she inquires, very unsettled by his behavior, "What do you want..?"

He closes his eyes, lets out a little growl of Muster Courage+3, then declares with a shaking fisted paw, "BRIDGETTE, NEXT TIME YOU COME HERE, I WILL -NEED- TO SEE YOUR AMETHYST ACKLAY AGAIN! GRAR!" He turns to the side the next moment.

She stares at him for a moment, then laughs, flustering him. At least until she responds, "I'll remember that, you crazy little critter." He folds his arms, grinning triumphantly. At least until Bridgette follows up, speaking in a coy tone, "Shall she expect it to be a date?" His eyes flare wide, and he rubs the back of his head, laughing bashfully, greatly amusing the others, with Chez Shay finding it particularly hilarious. The Thyxies point and emit "laughing" noises.

Then they hear Lyla sniffling. When they look, she's starting to cry softly. Everyone goes quiet, as she tearfully says, "Everyone's going home now... We had such a good time together, when we weren't fighting evil. It's always so saddening when everyone has to part ways like this..." She sniffles some more, and rubs her eyes. Sasha is quick to gently respond, "Aww, Lyla, it's ok." She comes close to try and comfort her.

Zan observes Lyla, then gives Chez Shay a look requesting release. She sighs, and does so. He steps up to Lyla, and she looks at him with teary eyes. She blushes, when he gently embraces her. Then, after giving her a compassionate look, he gently kisses her, and she closes her eyes when he does. The others watch with approving looks, though Chez Shay's is mixed with jealousy. The Thyxies react with what is clearly approval as well. After the kiss, with their faces close, Zan tenderly consoles her, "Don't think of it as a permanent goodbye. You know where this site is now, Lyla. So through it, you can always come visit us at the Amethytus Estate, whenever you want. You will always be welcome there." He gives Chez Shay a brief look as he adds, "The same goes for you, too, Chez Shay." She folds her arms with a smirk and a nod.

Bridgette thinks about this, and comments, "I bet you'll like it there, Lyla. It's all warm and tropical afterall. Like your desert home. Only with moisture, probably."

Kira keeps her arms folded, eyes aimed in another direction, as she mutters, "...Just don't expect me to give you a tour if you do show up." Some of the others chuckle on hearing this, and Kira retains her defiant attitude.

Lyla gives everyone a teary smile with wavering eyes, and responds, "Thank you, everyone." She focuses on Zan as she adds, "Thank you, Zan." She firmly hugs him, and squeals, "I'll miss you!" She sniffles some more, and Zan maintains the embrace for as long as she needs.

Sasha watches this with delight, then looks at the others as she speaks up, "And on that note..." Everyone looks at her on hearing such an attention-catching statement, and she says in a peculiarly formal and authoritative tone, "I'd like to thank you all, as a representative of an ally nation to Eihemland and its neighbors, for your strenuous efforts to save Eihemland from an evil force that was causing a lot of trouble. You went through a LOT to do all that you did, and I'm sure I can speak for both nations' leaders when I express my gratitude for such a valiant and noble mission."

Bella beams with pride and joy as she replies, "Absolutely! I wasn't about to let some power-hungry force of evil take over Eihemland and turn it into a mess! If anyone else shows up to threaten the peace, I'll come back to drive them out as well!" She stands strong.

Lyla gently releases Zan and gives Bella an approving smile as she more shyly comments, "I'd like to express something too... I can't tell you how happy it makes me feel to see that you've turned into a hero." Sasha realizes the pertinence of this subject and exclaims, "Oh yeah! That too! I'm sure by now a lot of Eihemland's people have learned about your change to the side of good, but we'll be sure to put in a very good word for you too, to everyone who asks!"

Lyla smiles brightly, as she declares, "Bella Chimes, Chief Aviation Engineer of Amethytus Estate, saved Eihemland from alien conquerors!" Sasha forms a similar smile as she proclaims, "Bella Chimes, Trouble Witch no longer!" Both of them simultaneously cheer, "Thank you!"

Bella has now formed a big, proud grin, and she responds with equal fervor, "I shall be one of the best heroes Eihemland has ever had! Be sure to tell the other witches that I'm a hero too!" They both nod with enthusiasm. A Thyxie floats by behind the group carrying a crystal.

Zan lifts a hand to catch attention, as he speaks up in his own authoritative tone, "I should add to that, as the lord of the Amethytus Estate. You have my compliments too, Bella." Everyone focuses on Zan now, and Bella's demeanor shifts from pride to awe, as he approaches her. He rests a hand on her shoulder, and gently announces, "I am proud of you, this day. We had a very rough start. That has to be acknowledged as fact. The enemy put up a potent resistance. But despite all of those odds, you succeeded, as leader of this mission, to bring us back from the brink, turn the situation around, accept the help of your teammates, and achieve a great victory for the Amethytus Entourage. Good job, Bella. Good job."

Bella smiles brightly in a far less proud manner, but a far greater manner of genuine humility, overwhelmed with honor. She lets out a delighted gasp that reveals a demeanor more accurate to her age. While she accepted the compliments of others as though she expected them, hearing Zan's compliments truly touches her heart. She has always been desirous of his approval, so meeting with it fills her with elation. She reacts, "Oh, Zan!" and hugs him very lovingly. She exclaims, "You have no idea how much that means to me!" and gives him a love-filled gaze, which he returns with one full of admiration.

Seeing Bella show Zan such affection causes that pang of jealous devotion to pop up in Teresa's heart. However, Bella is her friend, so Teresa tries to tamp it down. At least, until she flinches on thinking of something, and suddenly, she develops a mischievous look. She faux-angrily shouts, "...Wha-hey! What do you think you're doing?!"

Bella and Zan blink, and looks at Teresa. Bella responds, "...What?"

Teresa rushes up, grabs Zan, and snaps, "That's MY master! Not yours!" She clings protectively, and tries to push Bella away, as she adds, "You can't have him!"

The others stare, then shortly realize, Teresa's just being silly, pretending to be jealous of Bella. They start laughing, but for Kira. Bella, meanwhile lets out a soft grunt, then grins, and retorts, "You're gonna have to learn to SHARE, Teresa!" She grabs Zan too, and struggles against Teresa for him. Bella exclaims, "I saw him first!"

Teresa struggles back, and responds, "I don't care! He's MINE! I love him!" Bella quickly reacts, "I love him too! Zan!" Teresa chatters, failing to maintain the pretend-angry demeanor, "Zan! Zan! Oh... MASTER Zan! Right?!"

He has a very amused expression mixed with the Love Icon in his cybernetic eye, as he watches the two girls clamor and struggle for him. The others watch in amusement too, including the Thyxies, who get rowdy again. Kira watches in silence, and that soft look comes over her face again, unnoticed by the others. As she watches the two struggle, and after hearing Zan declare that Bella did a good job, she recalls how he helped her with her foot cramp, and the look he gave her afterward. She remembers the strange warmth that came up in her heart, and feels it rising again, with a slight taint of jealousy. She wonders what it would feel like to earn Zan's approval of her as well, and senses that the jealousy is of those who already have done so. She wonders, if she could actually come to know what love feels like, now that she is free of the shackles of her home realm.

Her deep consideration is interrupted when Bella blurts out, "Whose your favorite, Zan?!" Teresa instantly responds, "Me! Of course I'm his favorite! I'll ALWAYS be his favorite!" Bella quickly reacts, "No way, Teresa! I'm his favorite! After today, I HAVE to be his favorite!" Teresa chides, "You're not cut out to be his favorite!" Bella counters, "You're too new to be his favorite!" Chez Shay busts in, "Screw that, I'M his favorite!" and starts struggling with them for Zan too, as she adds obnoxiously, "Zan, admit it! You can't deny it!"

Teresa squeals, "Master! Master!" Bella clamors, "C'mon Zan!" Chez Shay cries, "Zaaanneee!" The girls continue to playfight for the title of Zan's favorite. He, for his part, keeps calm and quiet, and the others watch with warm hearts. The two even accept that Chez Shay decided to get involved as well. Everyone is just so joyful over their grand success here, and the joy in everyone's hearts keeps real contentions from arising.

After a few more minutes of this silliness, the girls settle down, with Bella and Teresa calmly clinging to Zan with warm smiles. Finally, they let go, giving everyone else smiles, and they are all in very high spirits. Bella looks around at everyone, focusing on their native friends, and says, "I guess this is goodbye then."

Lyla begins to look a little sad again, as she replies, "For now, yeah... I'll come visit you again some time."

Bridgette confidently declares, "The Amethytus Estate is welcome to anyone who is our friend. Goodbye, everyone! I gotta go take a shower..." She runs a hand through her hair, and gives Zan an intriguing look. He responds with a soft smile and slight tilt of the head. She smiles cutely.

Sasha speaks up joyfully, "Take care of yourselves!"

Teresa nods happily, and replies, "Take care too! Goodbye!"

Chez Shay enthusiastically exclaims, "I'll be sure to visit you too! I hope you can live life without me!" She gives them a big, sad-ish smile.

Kira gives her, then the others, a flat, clearly distracted look, and says, "...Bye," and mutters under her breath, "...Note to self: Set a date to come back and study this strange realm." She looks out over the horizon for a moment. Zan takes note of this, and sees that she is clearly very concerned with something. She gives him a soft, if a bit prickly, look when she notices he's watching her.

The Beast waves both arms rather flailingly, as he shouts, "SO LONG, AND THANKS FOR ALL THE FRITZ!" The others give him amused looks and acknowledgements.

Zan finishes up, with all attention on him, "Farewell. We shall meet again, I'm sure." The Thyxies dance all around the group during the farewell exchange.

The group moves close to the Amethyst Gate. Some other Thyxies move to stations by all of the pavilion's columns. With Zan and Bella at the front, Teresa, Bridgette and Kira close by, and Chez Shay, The Beast, Lyla and Sasha a few steps back to observe, they ready to leave the realm. Zan gives Bella an affirmative look as he says, "Bella?"

Bella forms a beaming smile upon receiving permission to activate the gate once again, and replies gently, "Thank you, Zan." She looks at the Thyxies, and nods, stating, "Unlock it."

The Thyxies at the stations by the columns emit sparkling responses. They insert their point-tipped limbs into small sockets in the columns and glow with energy for a second. The fan-shaped crystals, which, up until now just looked inert and ordinary, if not for their unusually large size, suddenly begin glowing and humming sightly. Chez Shay, The Beast, Lyla and Sasha watch in curiosity. Bella then rests her hand on the central crystal of the gate. The crystals glow brightly, and the portal forms within them. Lyla and Sasha find themselves amazed by the sight, while Chez Shay folds her arms with a toothy little smile that The Beast imitates, and they give each other impressed looks. The Thyxies hold position, plugged into the pavilion's columns. Bella looks back at their Eihemland friends, and says, "One last time, thank you for your help. We'll see you another time!"

Chez Shay gives her an exaggeratedly exasperated look as she exclaims, "Just get going already, before I change my mind and decide to keep Zan here to myself!" The Beast pretends to sniffle, and shouts, "GET GOIN' ALREADY BEFORE I CRY!" He then realizes that he might do just that.

Zan waves at them, eyes closed, smiling, and gives them a thumbs-up. He says, "Take care!"

Lyla waves back, trying hard to be strong now, and replies, "Thank you. You too..." Sasha quickly adds, "Bye-bye!"

Teresa, Bridgette and Kira nod, the former two waving as well, to which the Eihemlanders respond in kind, though Chez Shay's is more of a "you're dismissed" gesture. Bella, Teresa, Zan, Bridgette and Kira face the portal, and leap forward, entering it. They quickly disappear within, and after a few idle seconds, the portal closes, the crystals going calm and silent. The Thyxies at the stations detach from the sockets, and the Amethyst Gate shuts back down into an inert state. Some of the Thyxies stay and watch the Eihemlanders, while the others disperse to other areas of the site.

After a second, Lyla feels a cold chill run down her spine, and looks, to see Chez Shay giving her a terrifying grin. She squeals in fright, and Sasha shrieks at the equally terrifying look The Beast has. Lyla unfurls her flying carpet immediately, and jumps on.

Just in time, as Chez Shay thrusts a pointer finger at her, and demands, "Your PANTS! Hand them over! NOW!" She jumps on her vacuum cleaner in response to Lyla's action. The Beast chatters erratically, "FANCY PANTS! FANCY FLOATY PANTS!"

The Thyxies stare in confusion. Lyla wails, "NOOOO!" and takes off flying out of the pavilion with Sasha.

Chez Shay darts out after her, and aggressively pursues as Lyla speeds away from the Amethytus Gate Station. Chez Shay and The Beast cackle madly, and Lyla and Sasha squeal and cry in fright. The Thyxies watch in befuddlement as they dart up and down, left and right, and eventually leave sight of the plateau, the noise of their fracas slowly fading out. The Thyxies look at one another, emit baffled shimmering noises, and disperse to other areas to resume normal activities.

The calm settles in once again, in the skies of Rime Peaks. The breeze blows about, carrying snowflakes to and fro. The call of the sky whales rolls through, and the Thyxies move about, seemingly doing nothing but milling or transporting objects.

A glint flashes across the base from a crystal creature passing at just the right angle to reflect a beam of light on the base. The breeze turns in a different direction, and the sound of an eagle's call passes through the air. Two Thyxies approach each other, emit soft shimmering noises, and move on to continue their activities.

A lone, fluffy cloud drifts through the sky, at around the same rate as the giant, floating boulders that glide through the air. A sky whale calf emits cheerful chirping noises as it swims about through the air. A breeze blows through, carrying more snowflakes about, despite the lack of clouds for them to come from. The view, a vista of glorious whites and blues, ever so gradually takes on a slightly orange hue as the sun slowly sets in the distance.

The breeze blows, but despite the fact it can carry snow around, it renders that shimmering cloud of mist the group passed by undisturbed. It has been hanging in the same spot the entire time, unchanging. A figure is vaguely visible within that cloud. It becomes more distinct upon closer observation. A girl, perched on a large staff of ice. A pale girl with long fuchsia hair, wearing an equally fuchsia robe, and an earmuff headband with a pair of upright leaves that resemble rabbit ears. She has a very dark look in her icy-blue eyes, which seem shrouded in shadow, and a great black aura seethes around her, as she maintains her dark gaze on the Amethytus Gate Station, having observed everything that happened there.

"Zan... Why..." the girl quietly whispers to herself, "I thought... I was your favorite..."

~Waypoint 25: Recounting the Trouble~

The late evening period has arrived at the Amethytus Estate, with the time differential between it and Eihemland quite pronounced. There are many hangouts in the Amethytus Estate, and one of the more popular ones, for probably obvious reasons, is the Cafeteria. Set in the third floor of the Eastern Haven, the smell of food perpetually lingers in the air here. The current scent seems particularly spicy. This place has become Xiangfei's natural habitat. Aside from the times she leaves to sleep, bathe, practice her fighting, or go with someone to do something else, she can always be found here, mainly because she is almost always busy making food for everyone. The kitchen section is established in the northern quarter of the large, octagonal-shaped chamber, while the other three quarters are dotted with round tables, attached to which are bar-stool-like chairs with round, cushioned, rotatable seats, making for easy use. For anyone who wants a little more stability in their seating, the perimeter of the place is lined with booth tables too, though those tend to get used less often.

Thyxies float about, keeping the place clean with a reclaiming ability identical to Zan's. And seated at one of the tables is a gathering of women, around Teresa at the moment, including Xiangfei, Cerebella, Malin and Scytillia. Fiquella is also present, though she is currently seated at one of the neighboring tables. There are a few food items set on the table, along with Dewdrop, whom Malin and Teresa are playing with using dangly toys, which she bats at, producing a sight that is just too cute for words. The expressions on the women's faces only further confirms the adorability. Currently in the middle of a conversation, Teresa looks up from watching Dewdrop play to continue, "By that point, the Kyo clones were so afraid of me, they ran in fear! I was the one who was giving chase! They grovelled as they should before a supreme Tar Queen, and I showed them... eh, maybe a smidge of mercy."

Scytillia sighs. Dewdrop snatches Teresa's dangle toy and tugs at it. Malin gives Teresa an extremely skeptical look, which the others share, and responds, "Uhh, Teresa, I've MET Kyo Kusanagi, and if his clones are anything like him, there's no way you could have ever driven them to run from you in fear."

Xiangfei is equally disbelieving, as she reprimands, "Same here! There you go again, puttin' yourself on a pedestal!"

Teresa is quickly frustrated by this disbelief, failing to realize that her bragging in the past would cause such doubt, and exclaims, "Ergh! Are you accusing me of telling tall tales? Are you?! Just ask anyone who went with us! They'll tell you!" Dewdrop yanks at Teresa's dangly toy, distracting her for a moment as though she had caught a fish.

The opening-via-dilation sound of the southern door in the Cafeteria catches the women's attention. When they look, they see Bella walking in. They smile brightly, but also find themselves amused, seeing her wearing just a towel. And a small one at that. It is just barely long enough to cover the top and bottom critical points of her body, and at least a tenth of her backside is visible. She is carrying her cat-hat, and sees them. As she begins to approach, Teresa points, causing Dewdrop to flinch, and look, and she exclaims, "There! There's Bella! Ask her!"

Malin ignores Teresa as she waves at Bella and cheerfully calls out, "Bella! Hey! Good evening and welcome back!" The others do the same, Xiangfei greeting her, "Heya, Bella! Welcome back!" Cerebella holds out a hand in welcome as she announces, "The guest of honor has arrived from the show!" Fiquella waves overly excitedly for some reason, and cheers, "Beeellaaa!" She grins in cute enthusiasm, though with a pronounced fang that produces a sense of foreboding.

The girls, including Scytillia, happily keep waving, bringing out a smile in Bella, a little fang of her own becoming visible, as she approaches them. She comes up to the table, and sets down onto one of the seats, her towel riding up enough for her entire backside to be visible. She sets her cat-hat on the table, and it wiggles a little with a happy expression. Dewdrop releases Teresa's dangly toy, immediately scampering over, mewling excitedly, and she hops at Bella. She giggles as she catches the Kadoatie and snuggles her for a second. Scytillia, eyeing Bella in surprise, remarks, "You came all the way over here from the Bath in that tiny thing?"

Bella holds Dewdrop against her chest, as she returns Scytillia's comment with perplexity, responding, "Yeah... ...What?"

Scytillia then becomes dismissive, as she says, "I'm just surprised is all."

Fiquella forms a dark little smirk, and a predatory glint emits from one eye. Bella, meanwhile, sways Dewdrop like a baby, causing her to start purring, as Bella explains, "My clothes are in the wash, and I didn't feel like putting anything else on. No big deal."

Teresa sets down the dangly toy now that Dewdrop is occupied, and quickly starts chattering, "Bella! Tell them! Tell them! Tell them how awesome I was, Bella!" Bella gives her a mean smile, and pretends to be very disbelieving as well, smugly responding, "I don't know about that..." Teresa is instantly aghast, and whines, "Bellaaa!"

Malin ignores Teresa as she puts away her dangly toy and rests a hand on Bella's arm. She sincerely inquires, "How are you feeling, Bella?"

Bella nods with a cheerful grunt, and replies, "Great! Great. It's so good to be home..." She looks around at everyone, all smiles, and Dewdrop mewls cutely.

Xiangfei sips the soda she has before her, giving Bella a smirk, and asks, "Feeling sore yet?"

Bella responds with a flat look, "Feh. Sure, I got a lot of exercise, but it wasn't anything more strenuous than some of my engineering projects. ...Oh yeah. I need to get started on one of those soon. Ahh, but I'm just so tired now!" She looks down at Dewdrop, who mews cutely again, this time causing Bella's cat-hat to mew in response, and Dewdrop looks. She starts wiggling a little, so Bella sets her back on the table. The Kadoatie climbs onto Bella's cat-hat to snuggle down, and the cat-hat becomes content, the two creatures emitting soft purring. The sight is unfathomably adorable.

After a moment to take it in, Cerebella resumes the conversation, "You DESERVE a vacation after what all happened there!"

Bella nods slowly, and replies, "Don't you know it." She notices that Teresa is looking genuinely frustrated, and decides to stop being mean, as she adds, "Teresa, too, actually. She DID help quite a bit." Teresa gives her an appreciative look, which changes to smugness when the others look at her. Bella resumes, "And the first thing I wanted to do for my vacation was take a shower. I had been looking forward to that for easily over half of that mission! Ahh, I feel so clean now! I am SO grateful for our Bathing facility!" She stretches up, nearly causing her breasts to escape the towel.

Xiangfei sets her soda down in a suddenly excited gesture that catches everyone's attention. She breaks into a tangent, "You know what I'm grateful for? That awesome new dish Zan gave me! Have any of you tried it yet? It's DANGEROUS."

Teresa's expression grows dull and disinterested as she replies, "We were there when master found it. It sounded hideous."

Xiangfei throws an annoyed look at Teresa, then the others when they show similar disinterest, as she yammers, "Oh come off! That dish is a masterpiece! Six meats, stewed to melting perfection! Six vegetables, their crunch somehow preserved like ice! The spices simmer and tickle your nose! The seething, burning, flaming-" Malin ignores Xiangfei as she interrupts, "Teresa told us you found some treasure while on your mission."

Xiangfei flinches, and yelps, "Hey! I was TALKING! ...Food is treasure too..." She forms a miserable look, so Cerebella gently pats her shoulder, though in a rather patronizing way, and Xiangfei puffs her cheeks out immaturely in irritation.

Bella answers Malin enthusiastically, "Yep! Zan and Bridgette are probably sorting all of that out right now. I got some pretty things, but nothing terribly special."

Scytillia nods, and says, "That's cool. So, is Eihemland secure?"

Bella's demeanor softens just a bit for a moment, and she turns her focus on the snoozing cat-hat and Kadoatie, as she quietly replies, "Yes. Eihemland is secure. NESTS has been driven out, and Zan said the Interdimensional Static wasn't just purged, it was outright destroyed, likely taking NESTS' base in their own realm with it."

Teresa lifts her head as she boasts, "Serves 'em right! Am I right? Obviously."

Bella smirks, and acknowledges, "Definitely," bringing out a grin on Teresa's face. Bella looks around at the others as she declares, "Maybe from now on they'll know to keep their evil paws off of any of our home realms! I gave them a GOOD thrashing, and if they're as _wise and powerful_ as they claim to be, they'll learn the lesson well! The cat claw scars I left them with will remind them every time they even THINK about harassing us or our homes!" She claws with her fingers as she says this, amusing the others.

Fiquella is now slowly moving, like a stalking predator, into a prone position near the table the girls are using, and comments, "'Paws'? 'Claws'? Heh, how many cats did you run into this time?"

Bella hesitates for a moment when she remembers her encounters, and answers, "...Two." She again looks at the snoozing Dewdrop and her own cat-hat, as she specifies, "One normal alley kitty that actually saved me from some bullies at a point. ...And a big black lion that worked for the bad guys. ...I liked that lion. A lot."

Teresa rests her arms on the table with a disapproving scowl, and responds, "Yeah, well, he clearly wasn't worthy of your affection, Bella. Just thinking about how he hurt your feelings makes me seethe again! I suppose I'll have to take solace in the fact my tar really messed him up good!" Said solace brings out a proud grin on her face again. Bella points toward Teresa as she corrects, "Tar AGNAKTOR, Teresa. Your Tar Agnaktor nearly killed him." "Close enough!" Teresa counters, still grinning. Xiangfei slowly sips her soda.

Cerebella starts to eat a banana pudding, and adjusts the conversation as she comments, "I heard Little Ki had a rough time. She's locked herself in a section of the Laboratory now for some reason."

Bella's demeanor shifts toward one of slight discouragement, and she gently acknowledges, "We ALL did, Cerebella. Without my Contour Barrier, I felt naked. And not in the good way. Everyone got hurt, with Zan taking more brutal hits than he ever deserved. Kira though, had a particularly hard time because, unlike the rest of us, she didn't have ANY way to fight until Zan made a gun for her." She and Teresa exchange concerned nods.

Scytillia looks off in the general direction of the MedLab as she speculates, "She's probably locked herself away to practice her Kinetics then. As a HydroKinetic, she should be able to fight without a weapon in almost any environment." A Thyxie arrives with a bowl of ravioli, and Scytillia thanks her for it, before starting to eat. Xiangfei is suddenly hungry too.

Bella remarks with a touch of amusement, "The irony is, she was rescued by a girl from a desert. Opposite elements, much?"

Malin seems just a little disinterested, but she says, "That's tough, given her level of pride. But, all in all, would you say the mission was a success?"

Bella's countenance grows satisfied, and with a nod, she states, "Oh, absolutely. I'd say I feel very proud of my work there. Not only did I get to save my home realm from megalomaniacal realm conquerors, but I've started to change my reputation as a Trouble Witch! Would you believe the people were still afraid of me when I first went there? After two years, they still thought I was a villain, and treated me like I was as much a menace as NESTS! I'd have to say, however, that after all of what we did, the people will adore me! Wouldn't you agree, Teresa?"

Teresa folds her arms, nodding with affirmation and confidence, and responds, "I would. I definitely would. I, too, am very pleased with how all of that turned out. We made a resounding impression on the people of that land, and they will be certain to remember that the Amethytus Estate, with its amazing heroes, saved them from oppression! You did very well, and I'm very pleased with how you performed. You made... understandable mistakes, but that's expected of a novice hero. After working with me and Scytillia for a while, you'll get the hang of it." Bella gives Teresa a very amused look, mainly from how Teresa acts as though she has a position of authority over her. The others roll their eyes, but the mood remains positive, but for a subtle tapping of Xiangfei's finger on the table.

Cerebella finishes her pudding, and gives the bowl a pleased look, then thinks of another subject, and says, "I've heard Eihemland is a pretty big realm."

Bella looks off in a direction as she thinks about that, replying, "You have no idea. Or, well, maybe you do. I don't really know how big the Canopy Kingdom is, but I'd imagine it's an entire country, like Eihemland. My realm is quite a beautiful place though."

Cerebella huffs in amusement, averting her eyes, and says, "That's a contrast to the Canopy Kingdom something fierce. ...I wouldn't define my home realm as 'beautiful'. Frankly, I'm glad to be gone from that realm. You're the weird one here, Bella. You're probably the only one who still loves her home realm." She gives Bella a weird look.

Bella is amused, however, and returns the weird look, as she responds, "I guess... But I like to think of it as actually being a good thing."

Xiangfei is resting her head in a hand, leaning forward with an elbow on the table, as she asks with a gesture of her free hand, "Are there any weird places there? I mean, every realm seems to have at least one weird place. Or weird people. Or weird things."

Bella is quiet for a moment, unable to recall anything, and replies, "...None that I can think of. Kira found it inordinately weird though that there are a lot of things that float for no apparent reason, in my realm." She snickers as she lists off a few, "'Floaty stones', 'floaty whales', 'floaty pants'."

"Wait, what?" Scytillia cuts in with surprised confusion.

Bella gives Teresa an amused look, which she shares, and Bella answers, "Lyla. Her pants can defy gravity. Literally."

Teresa looks around at the others as she remarks, "I can't imagine wearing clothes that would always give you such a huge chance to experience a wardrobe... mal...function..." Her eyes have settled on Cerebella as she notices the extremely low and shoulderless neckline of her outfit. She points feebly as she inquires, "How does that stay up, anyway?"

Cerebella just gives Teresa a teasing little grin and makes her very large breasts bounce heavily. Her top, which truly seems to have no method of staying up, remains secure. Teresa stares, then grows very wary, and drawls, "Yeeaah... ...Aaanyway, speaking of weird people, what about those... Drait... something... Farmers?" She looks at Bella as she asks.

Bella instantly laughs, and, now excited, exclaims, "Oh yeah! You all think we're an eclectic and eccentric bunch, right?"

Malin flinches, looks at the others with a self-conscious expression, and remarks, "...I like to think of myself as being pretty average." Scytillia forms a smirk and points with her fork as she retorts, "Says the girl with lockpicking skills, who raises giant bugs, and carries a hidden arsenal of blades under that cute persona." Malin just shrugs.

Fiquella, now prone in a position close to the table the girls are using, but disguising the behavior with her normal lurking activities, dismisses the brief tangent as she exclaims, "So what if we're eccentric! Zan loves eccentric! Go on, Bella..." She has a dangerous look in her Darkness-induced panther eyes, that Bella fails to notice.

Bella, amused still at the thought of the farmers, explains with hilarity, "Well, there was this family, right? They were FARMERS, right? But they also had super-high-tech gear and super powers and everything! FARMERS. With super powers! I have heard of some weird combinations of themes, but that was just too off the wall!" Fiquella stops her lurking for a second to think about this, and finds it about as amusing as Bella does. Malin is just baffled. Cerebella and Xiangfei find it quite amusing. Scytillia, her fork half stuck in her mouth in pause to think about this, just has a flat look.

A look that Teresa shares, as she rolls her eyes, and comments in a droll tone, "You gotta admit, they were pretty impressive. ...For country bumpkins..." Bella nods, still quite amused, and acknowledges with a sniff, "Yeah, and for what little we actually saw of them."

The girls are very cheerful. However, Fiquella has started moving slowly, silently toward Bella, coming around to get behind her, her eyes glinting with darkness. No one pays attention to this however, as Malin continues, "It definitely sounds like, even though you had a difficult mission, you still had a good time there. Did you get to see any of your favorite places?" She takes a glass of iced tea in hand to sip, inciting Xiangfei to resume drinking her soda.

Bella calms a little from the previous subject, her thoughts heading in another direction now, and she slowly answers, "Well... Yeah, somewhat. I love Eihemland City itself the most. The beautiful buildings, the elegant train systems... I even got to ride on one of the trams. It brought back memories. I'll always remember flying over the city with my family when we were younger. Such beautiful works of engineering the people had already made even at that time." Her demeanor now looks a little nostalgic. She wistfully says, "I'll always remember those times..."

Scytillia forms a very skeptical look as she remarks, "Bella, you're just a tad too young to be talking like that. You sound like a retired train engineer." Bella snerks, and gives her an amused look.

Malin, however, forms a mischievous grin, setting her drink down, and speaks up, "Trouble Witch memories, huh?"

Bella flinches on hearing that term again, and reacts, "What?"

Cerebella immediately catches on, and joins in, teasing, "Heh, yeah, you got into all kinds of trouble when you were younger, so I'm surprised you'd view it with fondness."

Bella looks between the two in stunned bafflement, and responds hesitantly, "No, I..."

Malin pokes Bella's shoulder a couple of times as she inquires goadingly, "Got anything you'd like to share? I'm sure there's some interesting stories you can remember about what your family did before you all went completely off the rails."

Bella finally catches on, and gives the two a wary stare, then acknowledges confidently, "...Well, yeah, but that's hardly something I'd share with you all! I'd never hear the end of it if I did!"

Cerebella grins, and declares, "We'd like to hear it! The Trouble Witch antics of Bella Chimes!"

Xiangfei gets up from her seat, exclaiming, "Sounds rich! I'll make some popcorn!"

"Nope," Bella states, ruining the girls' fun, and she continues, "Forget it. As far as I'm concerned, those days are behind me. I love Eihemland now. I always will. And I won't cause them ANY more trouble." Xiangfei sighs, and sits back down, muttering about popcorn now.

At least until Teresa points out the next second, "Aside from setting the city on fire one more time?"

The girls bust out laughing, but for Bella, who seems to panic just a bit as she quickly responds, "Teresa! That wasn't my fault! In fact, your tar caused more damage than anything!"

Teresa just keeps her cool, putting her arms akimbo despite sitting down, and she says, "What tar? All the time I spent in that city, I was unarmed and had to resort to my Bone skills!" She happens to notice Fiquella lurking inward behind Bella, and narrows an eye, but just continues with a slight boast, "...Not that it made it any more difficult for me, just more complicated."

Bella looks at everyone before her, completely unaware of the black panther girl drawing closer, as she states, "I will admit one thing though." They give her anticipatory expressions. She starts, "During my mission there," their expressions weaken, "I got soaked to the skin more times than I'd care to count."

Malin snickers on hearing this, and replies, "Oh yeah? And with that thin little top, you probably were quite a sight, huh?"

Cerebella points at Malin as she states, "Not much thinner than your teeny, white skirt, Yo-yo Bug. If YOU got soaked, everyone would be able to see that shapely little rear end of yours."

Malin subconsciously pushes her backside out a little bit, and due to the extreme shortness of her microskirt, which rides up when she sits, a good quarter of her backside is visible, which increases to a third from the motion. In fact, from a low angle, anyone can see a third of Scytillia's and Cerebella's backsides as well, due to their extremely short skirts and lack of underwear. Teresa and Xiangfei are the exceptions, due to the former's pants, and the latter's Chinese outfit, which has large drapes in front and back, though she long ago stopped wearing the pants she used to have, resulting in at least plenty of visible leg. Malin, with pride, acknowledges, "And I'd show it off, too! You'd do the same, I know it!" Cerebella winks, and comments, "We'd make quite a show-stopper."

Bella, meanwhile, is now quite distracted by the subject of soaking, and gestures somewhat excitedly as she exclaims, "The weirdest thing was, it - KEPT - HAPPENING. I must've gotten soaked about a dozen times! It was too common to be a coincidence! It felt like someone had it out for me!"

Scytillia sighs, giving Bella a very bland look, as she responds, "Now who, exactly, would have the omnipotent ability to manipulate events so that you, specifically, would get soaked to the skin on a regular basis, Bella? Think things through before you make such weird claims."

Bella slowly shakes her head, understanding this, and says, "I know it sounds weird, but still... It WAS weird. I spent probably ninety-percent of my time in Eihemland City with a transparent top. If anything ELSE becomes a well known fact in the city, it's that Bella Chimes doesn't wear any underwear, and is coming along nicely in development."

"Shall we CONFIRM THAT?! MRAH!" Fiquella shouts suddenly, as she lunges in, snags Bella's towel, and slips it clean off of Bella's body, rendering her nude. Bella shrieks.

Everyone instantly gets a very clear view of Bella's healthy breasts, and form smirks. Malin watches the breasts do a little bounce from Bella's shocked reaction, and comments, "...Yep. Her bust is pretty well developed."

Scytillia takes in the sight as well, and in a tone that seems sincere remarks, "Itegpa was right, she has done some growing. Nicely done, Bella."

Cerebella, however, tucks her arms under her own to amplify them, which are already pretty huge compared to either, and looks off to the side as she quietly says, "Pssh, lightweights."

A shadow falls over Xiangfei's eyes, as she looks down at her reduced bust by comparison. Malin isn't all that much greater. Bella leaps out of her chair and swipes at Fiquella, trying to snatch the towel. Fiquella laughs cruelly, and swings it back to keep it out of Bella's hand. Bella jumps at it, but Fiquella leaps with her cat-like agility to avoid Bella's snatching attempt. Teresa, meanwhile, seems to see the entire subject as moot, and with a rolling-wrist gesture, states, "What is the big deal, anyway? Breasts are breasts, no matter their size."

Cerebella gives Teresa a mischievous look, as she teases, "Says the two-hundred-plus-year-old with a chest flatter than a washboard."

Teresa, with a normal look, retorts surprisingly quickly, "That's pretty harsh coming from a girl with breasts big enough to slap people with." Scytillia snerks. Cerebella busts out laughing, as does Malin and Xiangfei. Teresa is largely unoffended by this subject though, and watches Bella and Fiquella struggle.

Bella jumps around after Fiquella for a minute, shrieking for her to drop the towel, but Fiquella laughs heartily and keeps it out of her reach. Finally, Bella just stops, and mutters, clearly unable to match Fiquella's extreme agility. She looks down at her admittedly beautiful nudity, and sighs. She returns to her seat at the table, causing Fiquella to flinch, then frown, while the others remain amused. She moves beside Bella and dangles the towel for a second. When Bella attempts to snatch it one last time, Fiquella hops back to dodge, with a taunting grunt. Bella gives the others a grimace, and they grin. Bella chooses to accept this. She picks Dewdrop up, awakening the Kadoatie, who mewls curiously. She resumes purring when Bella snuggles her under her bare bosom for a moment, and Bella smiles warmly.

Fiquella quickly forms a very disappointed, then bored look, crouched on a table next to theirs, having hoped Bella would jump after her again. When Bella remains sitting, snuggling Dewdrop under her breasts and remaining comfortably nude, Fiquella huffs. She drops the towel on that table, climbs off, and moves to sit with the others at their table.

Teresa watches as Fiquella does this, and takes note of her clothing. She inquires, once Fiquella joins them, "Speaking of suggestive outfits, what's with all those holes in your yarn clothing, Fiquella?"

Fiquella's outfit consists of a snug sweater and panties knitted from yarn of various subdued colors. However, they are riddled with holes that make them look ravaged by moths or something. Many of the holes even come very close to exposing critical points. Fiquella gives her a cute, amused look, and responds cheerfully, "Claw snags! It's hard to wear yarn clothing and not tear holes into them when you have CLAWS." On saying the last word, she flares with Darkness, extending fishhook-sharp claws from her fingertips suddenly, causing Teresa to recoil in fear. Fiquella finishes with a deadly tone, "Be careful what you ask about, pigtails."

Teresa has already formed a drop of sweat, but on hearing that nickname, one of two she has earned in the short time since coming here, she reacts by gripping her pigtails, and stammers in frustration, "Wh-why does everyone insist on calling me that?! My pigtails are cute! Master Zan says they look like rabbit ears!"

Cerebella tilts her head, with a compassionate look, and responds kindly, "Aw, it's ok, Teresa. Everyone's got a nickname around here based on her appearance, remember? They call me Muscle-head sometimes, just cause Vice-Versa's arms are on par with a pro-wrestler."

On hearing this, Scytillia comments, "Considering how intelligent you actually are," Cerebella grins at the compliment, "I wonder if that could be counted similar to nicknaming a huge guy 'Tiny'..." The girls snicker.

Teresa slowly rests her arms on the table, as Fiquella has stopped giving her a terrorizing glare, and mutters, "Still, it's really annoying."

Xiangfei is more annoyed however, the subject of nicknames being one of contention for her, as she remarks, "At least they don't call YOU 'Hoover'. I swear, I still owe Risky Boots a good punch in the face for spreading that!"

Fiquella abruptly interrupts, completely changing the subject, and just irritating Xiangfei still more, "Bella, I gotta ask, since no one else has... Aside from who you did meet, did you all encounter any of your family members?" Xiangfei grumps, head back in a hand, elbow on the table again.

Bella is silent for a couple of seconds, but before it comes awkward, she answers slowly and with a touch of sadness, "...No... None. I have to wonder where they all were... Lilly... Malcolm... Venus and Celeste... I felt sure I would run into Snowberry at least, but... no." She holds Dewdrop against her breasts, the soft Petpet purring contentedly.

Fiquella looks off to the side in thought, and murmurs, "Mrr... May have just been for the best. They might still be on the wrong side of alignment."

Bella forms a similar expression, responding, "Yeah..." and now looks a little down.

This prompts Scytillia to change the subject quickly, and she speaks up, "If we're now asking questions we just gotta ask, I have one myself. Teresa told us you all had your... ties? Stolen? What the heck?" Everyone becomes attentive again, now that a fresh, and weird, subject has been broached.

"Why would anyone steal ties?" Xiangfei mutters, trying to wrap her head around the concept.

Bella, however, has become amused again, which pleases the stoic Scytillia, since that was her original intention. Teresa, too is rather glad to see the change of subject and its positive result. Bella sniffs in amusement, as she replies, "Oh, right. That. It's ANYONE's guess as to why that was the case."

Scytillia gives Teresa a look, hidden by her mask, of honest surprise, as she says, "So she didn't make that up?"

Teresa flinches, her pigtails bristling slightly, as she exclaims, "Scytillia?! You of all people should know I don't MAKE STUFF UP! ...Not anymore." She looks off to the side, when she realizes exactly what the problem is now.

Scytillia carefully comments, "I know, it's just... That sounded too goofy to be true." Teresa's pigtails sag just slightly. Malin sips her iced tea, giving Teresa a mildly concerned look.

Bella, however, acknowledges, "Well it was, and I was just as confounded as you all are. I lost my kitty tie. Bridgette lost her anti-cleavage tie." This makes the girls snerk. "Teresa lost her Bejeweled Varkolyn Skull." Teresa fondles her treasure subconsciously and looks a little pensive. "If that counts as a tie," Bella adds, looking at her.

Teresa looks at them as she responds, "It's more like a brooch, but close enough." She looks down at it with fondness.

Bella finishes, "And Zan lost his neotech tie."

After a moment to take it in, Scytillia slowly inquires, "And... What did the enemies do with them?"

Bella gives them a flat look as she answers bluntly, "They wore them. Yeah, you heard me. They were wearing GIRLS TIES. Totally unfashionable, right?!" She snickers.

Xiangfei, however, rejects the concept outright, and reacts, "Ew! I hope you washed them before you put them back on!"

Bella becomes even more amused, and says, "That's really funny, because when Bridgette told them who they belonged to, they had nearly the same reaction as you just now did. Seriously. I guess Zan's spoiled us with his mature mentality, but I found it hilarious."

Teresa adds in regards to the event itself, "It was kind of a touch-and-go situation when we retrieved them. Everything's been washed as of now I'd imagine though, so that's not a big deal. MY treasure, though, was in a curio cabinet, and it had even been polished all nice. I guess I should appreciate that." She again gives the treasure resting against her chest a fond look.

Malin slowly sips her iced tea, giving Teresa a look of consideration, and she slowly acknowledges, "...Maybe Teresa's story about scaring the clones away is true afterall, if they were so dumb they were wearing stuff like that!"

Cerebella snickers, and says, "Right about now, Kira would probably spout something about 'clone decay'."

Bella shrugs, and replies, "Probably. Either that, or tie fetishes. ...I wonder if Zan is turned on by the sight of a girl wearing just a tie?" She slowly forms a blush at the thought, and the girls grin. But for Teresa, who just becomes curious.

Xiangfei raises a finger in exclamation as she states jokingly, "I'll put that on the bulletin board: Every third Tuesday shall now be 'Hadaka Tie' day." The girls, but for Teresa again, break into laughter, but the slight blushes that form on their faces indicates something on the side.

After finishing the laugh, Malin also finishes her iced tea. She sets the glass down, and comments pleasantly, "Well, you clearly had an awesome adventure, Bella."

Bella snuggles Dewdrop subconsciously, the fuzzy Kadoatie's fur producing a pleasurable feeling for her breasts, as she acknowledges, "It was a challenge to my position as leader, and I came out on top, so YEAH I had an awesome adventure."

Malin looks at the others as she states, "Now it's our turn. Some interesting things happened here too while you all were out."

Xiangfei becomes distracted, as she reacts, "Oh yeah. That." "I still haven't figured it out," Scytillia adds, also becoming distracted by thought.

During the brief lull, a couple of Thyxies arrive at the table, and gather up the bowls and cups. All of the food has been consumed. Teresa, meanwhile, notices the sudden adjustment of demeanor, and asks, "Is everything alright?" "What happened?" Bella says at nearly the same time.

Fiquella takes the lead, as she speaks up, "Get this: a swarm of Keese, being led by one egotistical bad-slash-dumbass of a Vire, thought it would be a brilliant idea to try and take over the Estate's Sublevel."

Teresa blinks, and responds, "...'Keese'?" Malin, in a flat tone as though very unimpressed, answers, "A type of small bat monster from the realm of Hyrule." Teresa gives her a curious look, and says, "Judging from your tone, they're hardly worth considering." Malin slowly nods.

Bella also nods, but is keeping her attention on the subject, as she replies, "Yes, but a Vire too? Really?"

Scytillia slowly nods, and explains, "Really. They swarmed in from one of the entryways into the mines. They attacked EVERYTHING, from the laundry, to Malin's bug pen, to the underground fungus garden."

Xiangfei abruptly adds incredulously, but with a laugh, "They attacked the larder! Can you imagine?! Bats in the pantry! The moment I heard that, I got down there to kick some fluttery ass!"

Teresa inquires, "Did they actually damage anything?"

Malin lightly shakes her head, as she answers, "Not really. They made for some good meals for some of my bigger bugs too." She grins, while Teresa becomes just a little disturbed.

Fiquella continues, "Not until they managed to get into the freezer and incinerator, at least. THEN they started giving us trouble, with their ability to absorb fire and ice to become Fire Keese and Ice Keese. They did manage to burn and freeze some things, but... Really, we're talking about Keese here. Even if they're being lead by a Vire, they still drop like flies!" She grins like the dangerous predator she pretends not to be.

"And drop they did," Scytillia adds with a touch of amusement in her stoic tone, "especially once Colbi and company got going."

Malin thumbs toward Xiangfei as she says, "It was Xiangfei who had to wake them."

Xiangfei immediately starts chattering, "You should have seen the looks on their faces when they saw their personal romping grounds overrun with black bat critters trying to attack everything. I never knew mice COULD look scary. They grabbed their blades, and were all like..." She imitates them with flailing gestures while making whooshing and whizzing noises for several seconds, and with an explosive gesture, exclaims, "Bat parts flying EVERYWHERE."

Scytillia comments with a smirk, "Needless to say, they didn't last long." Teresa and Bella snicker.

Xiangfei resumes excitedly, "The Vire was pissed, but fell just as fast. You should have seen the look on HIS face when he saw his batty-buddies popping like corn kernels. And then the noise he made when my elbow met with his face! It was RIGHTEOUS." She has a big, goofy grin.

Bella finds all this quite amusing, but there is clearly something disturbing her now, and she acknowledges, "Sounds like YOU had a good time too. But..."

Teresa blinks when everyone falls silent, and reacts, "Hmm?"

The mood darkens just slightly, puzzling Teresa. The silence is momentarily broken by Fiquella, who just says, "Yeah..."

When everyone goes silent again, clearly showing signs of disturbed concern over something that Teresa is not detecting, she asks, "What? What? What am I not getting?"

Scytillia, focusing on Bella, just mutters, "You are probably thinking the same thing we are." Bella nods.

Quite frustrated now, Teresa exclaims, "C'mon already!"

Bella finally asks the question that is on everyone's mind, "How did they get there?"

It goes over Teresa's head. She sits there, slightly shakes her head as she looks at everyone, and says, "...So?"

Cerebella focuses her attention on Teresa, and explains gently, "Teresa, Keese and Vires are not native to Staveltess."

It still goes over Teresa's head. ...For only a moment. When it clicks, she reacts, "Oh. ...Ohh... That's bad. That's really bad. This is a big deal, isn't it?" She now has the same look of dreadful concern everyone else has.

Malin quietly replies, "It is. Invasive species are always a big deal. Everyone is wondering about that. And once Zan's good and rested up, we're going to tell him about that situation."

"Not that we wouldn't, of course," Scytillia adds quietly.

Bella remembers something at this point, and speaks up, "That reminds me." They look at her, and she sets Dewdrop back on the table, where she waddles back over to Bella's cat-hat and settles down again, pleasing the living headgear. Bella states, "I remember that the Gofer Sisters had caused some problems for the Estate's waterworks before we left. It seemed fairly obvious, since the water ran fine during my shower, but did the Gofer Sisters' whole 'mechanical eel stuck in a main water line' situation ever get resolved?"

The girls roll their eyes. When it seems like no one wants to really answer that question, Scytillia comments, "You wouldn't believe the ridiculously convoluted means it took to get that stupid thing out of the pipes."

Malin has directed her eyes elsewhere, and remarks, "I don't think I've ever seen Misty try so hard not to get ticked off at someone. She's a sweetheart, but you obviously need to respect her plumbing, or she'll show you her prongs."

Bella, genuinely surprised, responds, "Wow. I can't imagine Misty getting mad."

Fiquella is now rather disinterested, but says anyway, "Considering the fact that the backup of the water nearly destroyed half the pumps in the Sublevel, I think even Zan would have gotten angry about it."

Xiangfei comments in a calm tone, "It was definitely a day of excitement in the Sublevel. Over half of us were down there trying to keep the situation under control. And THEN the Keese and Vire showed up."

Teresa gives Bella a humorous look as she comments, "Sounds like the Entourage was just as busy as we were, Bella!"

"I'll say," Bella acknowledges with a smirk, and adds, "I think I'm a little jealous." The group snickers.

Cerebella jokingly remarks, "One thing's for sure. It is entirely possible that the Gofer Sisters are even more dangerous when they're bored, than when they were evil overlords!" The group laughs a little more.

Teresa points out enthusiastically, "At least they ARE on our side!"

Bella looks off to the side in thought as she says, "I'll have to ask them for the details later. They sure like to talk, though..."

The group can't help but acknowledge that. As they do, however, they hear the southern door of the Cafeteria dilate open, again, which also catches Dewdrop's attention, awakening her to watch. They look, then smile pleasantly, when they see Zan step through the doorway to enter the Cafeteria.

~Waypoint 26: Anniversary Ending~

When Zan enters, he looks around, and spots the girls. He smiles too, and moves to approach them, his focus aimed on Bella. The girls watch with contentedness as he reaches them, Bella using the rotating ability of her seat to turn and look at him while sitting, and smiling too. He cannot ignore her complete nudity, and is briefly distracted by this, giving her body a quick glance-over. Fiquella smirks on seeing this, and murmurs, "Mrrr... He's checking you out, Bella."

Bella, smiling still at seeing his brief distraction, confidently allows him to take in the sight of her body, and responds, "Well of course he is. Who could resist this?" Her smile turns into a grin as she keeps her legs parted a bit, and subtly widens them a little more.

Cerebella, now grinning flirtatiously, teases, "I can see the blush forming on your face, Zan."

Malin's amusement turns soft as she comments graciously, "And yet, those eyes are just as mature and respectful as always."

Zan slowly pans his eyes up her body's features, and sets them on her face, as he replies, "Indeed, as I am not staring, but gazing, upon the beauty that is your body, Bella." He gives her a gentle smile.

Her grin widens, but she also blushes slightly, and says, "Good words to choose, Zan."

As this happens, Teresa quickly gets up from her seat, scampers around the table to Zan, and glomps him, switching into her happy persona just from seeing him. She squeaks, "Master! Mmm..." and hugs him. Momentarily, she adds, "It's so, so nice to be home safe!"

He gently hugs her in response, giving her as warm a look as he gave Bella, and says, "It is, indeed, Teresa."

She looks up at him cutely, her face at about his stomach's height, and asks in a cute tone, "Did you enjoy your shower?"

He nods, but with a huff of wry amusement and answers, "I did. I needed that as much as anyone would after all we went through."

Her look changes to mischief, and she asks mischievously, "Did Bridgette enjoy the shower too?"

The girls grin, Cerebella emitting a soft chuckle. Zan smirks at this, and rests a finger on her forehead as he states, "You'd be better off asking her."

Teresa, grinning, acknowledges, "Yes, master," and lets him go, giving him a mischievous look still.

Malin leans toward the others at the table, and quietly comments, "Anyone else notice that she seems to hug him every time she sees him?"

Fiquella's pink-tipped ear twitches, and she replies with a hush, "Yeah. Hard not to notice."

Xiangfei murmurs suspiciously, "I'm not sure if it's genuine or if it's an act."

Scytillia, however, silences them with a gesture as she states in their undertone, "It's genuine. You would too, if you loved him as much as she does."

Zan hears this. He can hear everything with that cybernetic ear of his. But he chooses to dismiss it, as he believes what Scytillia says. He looks at Bella, and after one more quick observation of her bare, beautiful body, locks his eyes on her face and inquires, "First off... Why are you nude?"

Bella gives him a suggestive little look, and explains, "I came up here in a towel after my shower, and Fiquella thought it'd be fun to steal it and play keep-away..." Her demeanor shifts more toward annoyance as she passes a dull look at Fiquella.

"Well it WAS fun, until you were all like, 'forget this'," Fiquella responds with mild annoyance.

Cerebella, in that same teasing tone from before, states, "Bella's bold. Of course she'll be willing to hang out nude." Bella grins.

Zan is at least mildly amused, but is focusing on moderating himself, and remarks, "I see. Kind of ironic, really." Bella doesn't quite get it, and asks, "How's that?"

Zan slowly shakes his head, and looks at the others as he says, "Nevermind. Anyway, good evening everyone. I've come to speak to Bella. ...And I have something for you." He puts his hand into his personal pocket dimension.

She stands up in anticipation, fully nude before him, and responds, "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah," he confirms, and takes out a beautiful, hand-sized, golden cat statue, with emerald eyes and ruby paw pads. "This," he adds, and hands it over.

The girls quickly become amazed. Dewdrop mewls cutely with a tone of astonishment. Bella eyes widen greatly, and she reacts joyfully, "WAAAAH!" She quickly takes it, and laughingly cheers, "HAHAHAAA! It's BEAUTIFUL!" She looks it over, reacting to its beauty, "OHH... WOW... AHH..."

Scytillia forms a satisfied smile, and commends, "Now THAT, is impressive." Fiquella stares at it in amazement, and exclaims, "Holy crap, that thing IS beautiful!" Teresa, standing beside Zan, is astounded as she remarks, "That's really, really amazing, master!" Xiangfei laughs, and comments, "Sweet! And so very appropriate!" Malin is awestruck by the intricate details and high quality that she can see, and asks, "Where in the world did you get a treasure like THAT, Zan?"

Zan watches as Bella looks it over with loving admiration, and explains, "I made it, actually, with Ashei's and Itegpa's help. Remember those gold coins and gems we acquired in Eihemland? Well, I forged it out of some of them."

Teresa gives him a very pleased look, and comments, "I THOUGHT I saw you get the spark of an idea when we were gathering all of that up. You are so, so sweet, master."

He speaks up, "Bella?" She looks at him with starry eyes. He states with a gentle smile, "That, is your Second-Year Anniversary Gift. It's a tad late, but there it is." Her eyes shimmer with love, and he looks upon them with a loving gaze of his own. He warmly says, "Thank you, Bella, for your loyalty and diligence. Thank you for your services and companionship. Thank you, for remaining a member of the Amethytus Estate for two full years."

Bella, obviously extremely happy, explodes, "I LOVE IT! I LOVE IT! I LOVE IT!" Suddenly, she hands it to Teresa as she simultaneously moves her out of the way, causing her to flinch. Bella then throws herself at Zan, nude body and all, and wraps her arms and legs around him. She proceeds to rapidly kiss his lips joyously as she exclaims, "Thank you!" Kiss! "Thank you!" Kiss! "Thank you!" Kiss! "...And you're welcome..." she softly finishes, with a blushing smile.

As this goes on, Cerebella leans toward Fiquella and whispers humorously, "Notice where Zan puts his hands." Fiquella's pink-tipped panther ear twitches. When she notices, she snickers and whispers, "Yep..." His hands are on Bella's back, and no lower.

Teresa, meanwhile, looks on, and gets that faux-jealous look again. She puts her free hand akimbo, and chides, "There you go again, Bella, trying to steal my master from me!"

Scytillia fails to detect that Teresa is not serious, as her tone could convince anyone, and reacts, "Say what?"

Teresa just winks at the others, causing them to realize she's being silly. But before she can incite another playfight, Zan has Bella settle down on her feet. He has Teresa hand her her golden cat statue, and Bella clutches it close to her bare chest. Zan gives her a serious, but positive look, catching everyone's attention, as he says, "I may be repeating myself, but it's time for me to give you your OFFICIAL commendation, Bella."

She blinks, and realizes what he means. She responds, "Oh, right! As leader of that mission!"

He nods, and points out, "Indeed. The first one I gave you at the Amethyst Gate Station was a bit spur of the moment, but I wanted your party to know how much I approved. This one is the official one."

Scytillia interjects in a skeptical tone, "You keep saying this is not a military base, but then say things like that, which, at least to me, produces some contradiction in your signals."

Zan shrugs, looking off to the side, and replies, "Yeah, I guess. But these missions ARE the serious part of our life, so I take the commendations and any rewards involved just as serious as well. This sanctuary is not purposeless, after all." Scytillia looks at the others, and they all slowly nod.

Zan rests his hands on Bella's shoulders, keeping his eyes on her face, and she gazes back in love, clutching the new treasure against her bare chest. The others observe with pleasure, as Zan officially declares, "Let the record stand, that you, Bella Chimes, have for the first time, and successfully, lead a mission to another realm to perform an objective of very high priority. Your rank for the mission, is an 'A'."

Bella's smile brightens greatly, and she beams with pride. Teresa lets out a little cheer, and the others quietly chatter in approval. Zan continues authoritatively, "The two primary reasons for achieving this rank are..." Everyone gets quiet as he allows for some dramatic tension to build, then states, "Successfully completing a mission that lead to the purging of Interdimensional Static, in ADDITION to defeating NESTS' invasion force." Bella's smile turns into a smirk with one of her little fangs protruding.

Zan then finishes, "And for excellent performance under the duress of losing all of your gear, INCLUDING your Contour Barrier, as well as being separated from the party for an extended time." He pulls her into a brief hug, causing a blush to form, and her smirk reverts back into a smile.

Zan whispers tenderly, "May that never happen again, sweetheart..." Bella clings to him in the hug, smiling from ear to ear.

The girls start to clap. Teresa proudly exclaims with a gesture toward her, "See?! Didn't I say that she did a good job? Good job, Bella!" Fiquella's black panther tail sways elegantly as she shifts into cute mode and cheers, "The little kitty's big day ends perfectly! Yay!" Scytillia forms a warm smile, and calmly commends, "Excellent job, Bella. Excellent." Xiangfei shouts joyfully, "Congrats, Bella!" and gives her a thumbs up. Cerebella remarks with emphatic pleasure, "Your first time turned out awesome for you!" Malin keeps clapping, as she compliments with a nod, "You made Zan, and us, proud! Nicely done!" Dewdrop and Bella's cat-hat emit cheerful mewls.

Bella turns to look at everyone, holding her new treasure close and beaming with pride, as she declares, "I guess that makes ME the top cat! Ho-hohoho!"

~END~


End file.
